IGRAPHICAL     LARKIN  DUNTON.LLD. 
READING    BOOK5      Head  Master  o{  Soifcn  NormAl  ^chooi 


BOOK  Hi 


LKS' LIBRARY 
VOLUME  NO.  7. 


ancf  I  I  / 


OUR 
1    OWN 
(QUNTRY 


SILVER- BURDETT  &  CO- PUBLISHERS' 


YORK- 


"CHICAGO 


THE 


YOUNG  FOLKS'  LIBRARY 

FOR   SCHOOL   AND   HOME. 

EDITKD    BY 

LARKIN   DUNTON,  LL.D., 

BEAD    MASTER   OF   THE   BOSTON    NORMAL   SCHOOL. 


VOLUME  VII. 


THE 

YOUNG  FOLKS'  LIBRARY, 

Edited  by  LARKIN   DUNTON,  LL.D., 

HEAD   MASTER  OF  THE  BOSTON    NORMAL  SCHOOL. 


DESIGNED  to  supplement  the  ordinary  school  reading-books  with  valu- 
able practice  in  reading,  and  at  the  same  time  to  reenforce  the  instruc- 
tion  in   special   lines   of  school   study  with    useful    information   and   choic" 
selections  from  the  best  literature. 


Stories  of  Child  Life. 

Vol.  i.  -  Book  I.  — AT  HOME. 

Vol.  2.  -  Book  II.  — AT   PLAY. 

Vol.3-  -  Book  III.  — IN   THE   COUNTRY. 

Vol.  4.  -  Book  IV.  —  AT   SCHOOL. 

The  World  and  its  People. 

Vol.  5.  -  Book  I.  — FIRST  LESSONS. 

Vol.  6.  -  Book  II.  — GLIMPSES  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Vol.  7.  -  Book  III.  — OUR  OWN  COUNTRY. 

Vol.  8.  -  Book  IV.  — OUR  AMERICAN  NEIGHBORS. 

Vol.  9.  -  Book  V.  — MODERN   EUROPE. 

Other  Volumes  will  follow  at  frequent  intervals. 


THE 

WORLD  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

BOOK   III. 

OUR  OWN  COUNTRY. 

BY 

MINNA   C.   SMITH. 

EDITED     BY 

LARKIN   DUNTON,  LL.D., 

HEAD   MASTER  OF  THE   BOSTON  NORMAL   SCHOOL. 


SILVER,  BURDETT  &  CO.,  PUBLISHERS, 
NEW  YORK  .  .  .  BOSTON  .  .  .  CHICAGO. 

1894 


COPYRIGHT,  1890, 
BY  SILVER,  BURDETT  &  CO, 


Notfoooti  $rcsa : 

j.  S.  Gushing  &  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith. 
Boston,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


PUBLISHERS'  ANNOUNCEMENT. 


IT  is  now  conceded  by  all  educators  that  school  in- 
struction should  be  supplemented  by  reading-matter  suit- 
able for  use  by  the  pupil  both  in  the  school  and  in  the 
home.  Whoever  looks  for  such  reading,  however,  must 
be  struck  at  first  with  the  abundance  of  what  is  offered 
to  schools  and  parents,  and  then  with  its  lack  of  sys- 
tematic arrangement,  and  its  consequent  ill  adaptation  to 
the  needs  of  young  people. 

It  is  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  this  defect,  that 
the  publishers  have  decided  to  issue  a  series  of  volumes, 
under  the  general  title  of  the  YOUNG  FOLKS'  LIBRARY 
FOR  SCHOOL  AND  HOME. 

These  books  are  intended  to  meet  the  needs  of  all 
children  and  youth  of  school  age;  from  those  who  have 
just  mastered  their  first  primer,  to  those  who  are  about 
to  finish  the  high-school  course.  Some  of  the  volumes 
will  supplement  the  ordinary  school  readers,  as  a  means 
of  teaching  reading;  some  will  re-enforce  the  instruction 
in  geography,  history,  biography,  and  natural  science  j 


2084744 


6  PUBLISHERS'   ANNOUNCEMENT. 

while  others  will  be  specially  designed  to  cultivate  a 
taste  for  good  literature.  All  will  serve  to  develop 
power  in  the  use  of  the  mother-tongue. 

The  matter  for  the  various  volumes  will  be  so  care- 
fully selected  and  so  judiciously  graded,  that  the  various 
•volumes  will  be  adapted  to  the  needs  and  capacities  of 
all  for  whom  they  are  designed;  while  their  literary 
merit,  it  is  hoped,  will  be  sufficient  to  make  them  de- 
serve a  place  upon  the  shelves  of  any  well-selected 
collection  of  juvenile  works. 

Each  volume  of  the  YOUNG  FOLKS'  LIBRARY  will  be 
prepared  by  some  one  of  our  ablest  writers  for  young 
people,  and  all  will  be  carefully  edited  by  Larkin  Dun- 
ton,  LL.D.,  Head  Master  of  the  Boston  Normal  School. 

The  publishers  intend  to  make  this  LIBRARY  at  once 
attractive  and  instructive;  they  therefore  commend  these 
volumes,  with  confidence,  to  teachers,  parents,  and  all 
others  who  are  charged  with  the  duty  of  directing  the 

education  of  the  young. 

SILVER,  BURDETT  &  CO, 


PREFACE. 


THIS  volume  is  designed  to  supplement  regular  instruc- 
tion in  the  geography  of  the  United  States.  It  is  not 
intended  to  take  the  place  of  the  teacher,  but  to  strengthen 
the  impression  which  the  teacher  has  made. 

All  formal  instruction  in  geography  should  be  preceded 
by  systematic  and  well-directed  observation  of  the  phenom- 
ena of  the  earth  and  of  the  heavens  as  these  phenomena 
are  manifested  in  the  neighborhood  in  which  the  children 
live.  The  study  of  the  home  should  be  so  thorough  that 
the  children  will  have  all  the  elementary  ideas  which  they 
need  in  forming  adequate  conceptions  of  those  portions  of 
the  earth  and  the  heavens  which  lie  beyond  the  range  of 
direct  perception. 

During  this  process  of  immediate  observation,  all  the 
ideas  gained  should  be  so  connected  with  plans  and  maps 
that  the  children  will  be  able,  through  the  use  of  maps,  to 
construct  accurately,  in  their  imaginations,  the  real  world 
as  it  actually  exists. 

When  this  preparation  of  the  children  has  been  made, 
regular  instruction  in  geography  may  be  begun.  Now 
maps  are  very  helpful,  especially  in  the  hands  of  competent 


8  PREFACE. 

teachers.  But  the  pupils  should  be  led  beyond  the  map, 
and  be  helped  to  create  in  the  imagination  what  the  map 
represents.  With  this  creation  should  be  connected  the 
words  which  name  the  parts  of  the  world  and  their  relations 
to  one  another. 

After  this  teaching  has  extended  to  those  portions  of  the 
United  States  which  are  covered  by  this  book,  the  book 
itself  may  properly  be  put  into  the  hands  of  the  pupils,  to 
be  read  by  them  either  at  home  or  in  the  class  at  school. 
By  this  reading,  the  pupils  will  be  conducted  through  a 
review  of  what  they  have  already  learned,  and  at  the  same 
time  their  use  of  language  will  be  improved. 

It  is  recommended  to  teachers  and  parents  that  a  good 
map  of  the  United  States  be  kept  constantly  before  the 
children  while  reading  this  book,  and  that  they  be  required 
to  trace  out  on  the  map  every  place  and  journey  mentioned. 
It  is  believed  that  if  the  book  is  used  in  this  way,  it  will  be 
useful  to  the  pupil  and  helpful  to  the  teacher. 

LAEKIN  DUNTON. 

BOSTON,  June  30,  1890. 


CONTENTS. 


I.     IN  WASHINGTON 11 

II.     A  BOAT  JOURNEY 17 

III.     UP  THE  COAST 21 

IV.     Ix  NEW  YORK 28 

V.     To  NEWPORT 33 

VI.     IN  BOSTON 39 

VII.     NEW  ENGLAND 47 

VIII.     MORE  ABOUT  NEW  ENGLAND 56 

IX.  FROM  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN  TO  PITTSBURG    .  61 

X.     THREE  CITIES 73 

XI.  LAKE  ONTARIO  AND  NIAGARA      ....  80 

XII.     FROM  BUFFALO  TO  CHICAGO 88 

XIII.  OHIO  AND  INDIANA 96 

XIV.  IN  CHICAGO 102 

XV.     ILLINOIS  PRAIRIES .  109 

XVI.  KENTUCKY  AND  THE  MAMMOTH  CAVE  .     .  115 

XVII.  VIRGINIA  AND  THE  CAROLINAS     ....  121 

XVIII.     IN  THE  SOUTH 130 

XIX.     THE  GULF  STATES 135 

XX.     A  TEXAS  EANCH 139 

XXI.  NEW  ORLEANS  145 


10 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXII.  UP  THE  MISSISSIPPI  .     .     ,    ,     ,     .     .     .  150 

XXIII.  ST.  Louis  AND  NORTHWARD 157 

XXIV.  MINNESOTA  AND  THE  DAKOTAS  ....  164 
XXV.  FROM  DAVENPORT  TO  DENVER    .     .     .     .  170 

XXVI.  KANSAS  AND  THE  INDIAN  TERRITORY     .  175 

XXVII.  IN  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS 179 

XXVIII.  OUR  NATIONAL  PARKS 183 

XXIX.  ACROSS  THE  DESERT 188 

XXX.  SALT  LAKES  AND  SILVER  MINES     .     .     .  193 

XXXI.  ALASKA 195 

XXXII.  NEW  STATES  AND  DOWN  THE  COAST   .     .  199 

XXXIII.  CALIFORNIAN  VALLEYS 205 

XXXIV.  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO  213 


•HiilJ 


CHAPTER  I. 
IN    WASHINGTON. 

1.  Our  country  is  a   very  large  one,  as   the 
boys  and  girls  who  read  this  book  already  know ; 
but  it  is  not  easy  to  realize  how  large  the  country 
is.     If  you  were  in  San  Francisco,  and  wished  to 
travel  across  the  United  States  to  Washington, 
you  would  be  obliged  to  ride  for  six   days  and 
six  nights  in  the  cars. 

2.  A  mile,  you  know,  is  not  a  very  short  dis- 
tance to  walk ;  yet  if  a  person  could  walk  twenty 
miles  a  day,  it  would  take  about  five  months  to 
walk  from  one  coast  of  our  country  to  the  other. 

3.  There    are    over    sixty    million   people   in 
the  United   States,  yet   there   are   many  regions 
where  one  might   travel   for   hundreds  of   miles 
and  not  see  a  house. 


12  THE  WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

4.  Wherever  we  live  in  this  country  of  ours, 
we  hear  a  great  deal  about  the  President,  whose 
home  is  the  White  House  at  Washington.     Men 
are  elected  in  all  of  the  states  to  go  to  Wash- 
ington and  serve  in  the  government  of  which  the 
President  is  the  chief  officer. 

5.  Washington    is    the    capital,  or   head    city, 
and  in  it  is  a  great  building  called  the  Capitol, 
where    the    men    meet   who    are    elected    to    the 
government. 

6.  In   looking  at  the  picture  of   the  Capitol, 
you  see  the  broad,  handsome  steps  leading  up  to 
the  entrance.     Imagine  that  you  have  walked  up 
those  steps.     In  the  main  entrance  of  the  Capitol 
is  a  huge  door  of  solid  bronze.     On  its  nine  tall 
panels  are  pictures  of  scenes  in  the  story  of  our 
country.     You    are    certain   to  stop  and  look  at 
these  pictures  before  going  on  into  the  rotunda, 
as  the  great  entrance  hall  is  called. 

7.  A  small  church  might  easily  stand  in  this 
hall,   and  there  would   be  room  for  its  spire  to 
reach  to  a  great  height.     All  about  you  on  the 
walls  are  paintings. 

8.  You   could   spend    many   pleasant    days    in 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  13 

the  Capitol,  looking  at  the  paintings  and  statues 
But  now  you  will  go  on  and  look  in  at  the  men 
who  have  been  elected  to  Congress  from  different 
parts  of  the  country.  They  are  in  two  long 
and  wide  halls,  the  Senate  Chamber  and  the 
Hall  of  Representatives. 

9.  There  are  hundreds  of  men  in  these  rooms, 
sitting    about    at    desks,    standing    up    to    make 
speeches,    writing,    talking,    sometimes    laughing, 
and    all    busy  about    the    affairs    of    the    govern- 
ment. 

10.  The    Vice-President    of    the  United    States 
is  at  the   head  of  the  Senate.     The  officer  who 
presides    in    the    other    hall    is    known    as    the 
Speaker  of  the  House. 

11.  If  the  President  is  in  his  room,  you  must 
not    look    in    there ;   you   must  wait   until   he   is 
gone  before  you  can  open  that  closed  door. 

12.  Now  you  will  climb  the  stairs  which  lead 
up  into  the  dome.     You  are  high  above  the  city 
when  you  have  climbed  these  two  hundred    and 
ninety  stairs.     People  walking  and  riding  in  the 
streets  are  far  below  you. 

13.  The  broad  avenues  shaded  with  trees,  and 


14  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

the  many  public  buildings  of  different  sorts  of 
stone,  and  the  fine  homes,  make  Washington  a 
beautiful  city.  In  the  distance  are  hills  and 
woods  and  pleasant  country  houses,  and  you 
can  see  the  sun  shining  on  the  water  of  the 
river. 

14.  By    and    by    we    shall    go    down    to    the 
river,  but   now  we  wish  to  look    a    little   longer 
at    the  panorama  which  is    all    below  us.     It    is 
a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  city  that  we  have  now. 
There  are    many  larger  cities    than  Washington, 
but  this  is  the  capital  of  the  country. 

15.  Nowhere  else  in  the  United  States  can  you 
see    so    many    great    buildings  which    belong    to 
all   the  country,  and  of  which  everybody  has  a 
right  to  be  proud. 

16.  Look    down    at    the    grounds    about    the 
Capitol.     They  are  larger  than  many  a  farmer's 
entire   farm,  and    the  grounds    about    the  Presi- 
dent's house  are  even  larger  than  these. 

17.  Yes,    you    may    visit    the    White    House. 
It    is  a  little  more  than  a    mile  from    the  Capi- 
tol, and    you  may    walk    or    ride    as    you    like. 
You  will  enjoy  looking    at    the  flowers    in    the 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  15 

garden,  and  if  it  is  a  public  reception  day,  you 
may  go  up  the  steps  and  into  the  house,  and 
see  the  President  and  his  wife. 

18.  If    you    had    plenty  of   time    to  spend    in 
Washington  you  could  see  a  great  many  famous 
and    beautiful    pictures    in    the    art    galleries    of 
the    city.     And     you    may  be    sure    you    would 
never   tire   of   sitting   on   a  bench   in  the   park, 
during    a   warm    day,  and   watching   the   people 
riding  and  driving.     There   are  people  from  all 
parts  of  the  world  living  in  Washington. 

19.  They  are  selected    by  the  governments   of 
other  countries    to  come  and    live  in  our  capital 
to    help  us   to  be  friendly  with  their   people    at 
home.     Most  of   them   bring   their  families  with 
them    to   Washington.     You    will    see    Japanese, 
French,   English,  Chinese,   and  German  children, 
as  well  as  American  ones,  playing  in  the  Wash- 
ington parks. 

20.  Down    the    river    at    Mt.  Vernon    are   the 
home  and  the  tomb  of  General  Washington,  the 
first  President,  for  whom    the  capital    is  named. 

21.  Let  us  go  down  to  the  river.    It  is  called 
the  Potomac,  and  is  a  very  broad  stream,     The 


16  THE  WORLD   AND    ITS  PEOPLE. 

story  is  told  that  General  Washington  once  threw 
a  dollar  from  one  bank  of  the  Potomac  to  the 
other.  Of  course  you  will  wish  to  take  a  stone 
and  try  your  strength  in  throwing,  but  you  will 
not  succeed  in  reaching  the  middle  of  the  stream. 

22.  The  river  grows    narrower  very  soon  after 
one  goes  a   little  way  up  stream  from  the  city. 
If  you  should    go  up  the    river   in    a   boat,  you 
would  find  it    growing   narrower    and    narrower, 
until   at   last   it  would   be  such  a    shallow  little 
stream  that  your  boat  would    graze  on    the  peb- 
bles and  sand  in  the  brook's  bed. 

23.  And    if    you    got    out    of    the    boat    and 
walked  up  the  bank  of  the  little  stream,  follow- 
ing   it   as   far   as   possible,  by-and-by  you  would 
come  to  a  spring  high  up  in  the  mountains. 

24.  Walk  back  to    your    boat    and  drift  down 
stream   again.      You  would   find    the    mountains 
giving  place  to  hills.      Creeks    and    brooks    and 
little  rivers  pouring  into  the  current,  make  the 
broad  Potomac. 

25.  You  would  float  back   to  the  boat-landing 
at  Washington,  thinking  that  you  knew  a  good 
deal  about  the  formation  of  a  river. 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  17 

26.  But    what    becomes    of    the    great  thirsty 

river,    which    has    been    drinking    up    all  of    the 
smaller  streams  ? 


CHAPTER  II. 

A    BOAT    JOURNEY. 

1.  As  you  float   down   the   Potomac  River    in 
your  imaginary  boat,  you  are  perfectly  safe.  The 
steamers  which  come  up  the  stream  cannot  harm 
your  make-believe  craft.     And  if  you    look  with 
your  mind's  eye  while  reading    these  pages,  you 
will    see    many   of   the    things    which   your   real 
eyes  would  show  you   if    your    boat  was    a    real 
one.     In    that    case,    you    would    be    obliged    to 
spend  a  great  deal  of  time  rowing  and    looking 
out  for  the  big  steamers. 

2.  Now  you  may  notice  that  the  stream  grows 
rapidly  wider,    and    that    there    are    many  small 
inlets    along  its   banks.     By  keeping    your    boat 
near  one  bank  of   the  broad    river,  you  can    see 
how  the  water    has    made   these   inlets,  wearing 
the  land  into  little  nooks  and  scallops  along  the 
shores. 


18  THE   WORLD    AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

3.  These    inlets   are   different    from    the    places 
worn    away  by  the  entrance  of    smaller    streams 
into  the  river.     Those   are  called    the  mouths  of 
the  streams,  while  the  inlets   are  worn   away  by 
the  play  of  the  great  river  itself  on  its  banks. 

4.  Something  besides  the  flowing  of  the  water 
in  its    regular  current    has  made  many  of    these 
inlets   quite    large.      This    is    the    action    of    the 
water  flowing  backwards.     But  you  wonder  how 
that    can    be.     Do    rivers    ever    run    backwards  ? 
Yes ;    some  of    the   water  in  the   Potomac    River 
and  in    many  other  rivers  runs  up  stream  twice 
every    day.      This    takes     place    only    in    rivers 
near  the  ocean.     It  is  the  tide. 

5.  As    you  float    more  and    more  slowly  down 
the   stream,  you  feel  that  a  great  force  is    hold- 
ing   your    boat  backwards  a    little.     It    is    as    if 
some    power    was    making    you    go    more  slowly 
than    the    river  current    had   been    carrying    you 
on.      Yet    this    river    current    keeps    your    boat 
going  on  and  on  towards  the  sea. 

6.  By  and  by  you   see  that  all  the  inlets  and 
the  little  creeks  are  full  and  overflowing.     If  you 
dip   your    fingers    over   the  boat's    side    into  the 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  19 

river,  and  taste  of  the  water,  you  will  find  that 
it  is  brackish.  It  is  not  really  salt,  but  it  is 
not  so  fresh  and  sweet  as  the  water  of  the 
spring  high  up  in  the  mountains. 

7.  Wait    until    the    tide    turns.      Drift    on    in 
your    boat    until    you    come    nearer    the    great 
arm    of    the    sea    called    Chesapeake    Bay.      The 
inlets    in    the  river   bank  were  like    little    bays, 
and  Chesapeake  Bay  is  like  a  big    inlet  in    the 
coast  of  the  country. 

8.  The    tide    is    running    out,  and    }our    boat 
goes    faster  and    faster  down    the  river    towards 
the    bay.      The    tide    pushes    you    forward    now 
with  as    much  force  as  awhile  ago   it    held    you 
back. 

9.  Twice    every  day  the    water    of    tb^    ocean 
flows  a  little  way  up  on    its  shores  and  a   long 
way  up    into    the    rivers,   and    twice    every  day 
the  tides  flow  back  again  to  the  ocean. 

10.  It    is    low  tide    as    your    boat    drifts    out 
into    Chesapeake     Bay.      You    can    see    on    the 
shores  the  line  that  marks  how  high   the   water 
has   been,   and    you    see   that    the   inlets    are  no 
longer  overflowing  with  water. 


20  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

11.  It    is  a  long    ride   that   you    have  had  on 
the  Potomac  River,  coming  down  to  Chesapeake 
Bay.      The    mouth    of     the    Potomac    is    nearly 
four  hundred    miles  from  the    place  where    your 
boat  grated  on   the   pebbles   in  its    shallow  head 
waters.     You  have  come  nearly  a  quarter  of  the 
way    from   Washington    with    the    tide    meeting 
you   twice  every  day  and   making  you  go  more 
slowly.       Now   you    must     row    your    boat     for 
seventy-five    miles    down    the     bay,    before    you 
come   out  into  the  open  ocean. 

12.  You    remember  the    little    points    of    land 
jutting  out  into  the  river  on  both  sides  of  each 
little  inlet  ?     Here  are  two  great  points  of  land, 
coming    out   into  the    sea,  one  on  either    side  of 
the  entrance  to  Chesapeake  Bay.     They  are  called 
Cape    Charles   and   Cape  Henry ;    for  capes,  like 
rivers,  must  have  names. 

13.  It    has  been  a  long    boat    journey  on    the 
Potomac,  but    in    learning  something  about    this 
river,  you  have  learned  something  about  all  great 
rivers.     You  know  that  they  rise  from  springs  in 
the  high  lands,  in  hills  or  mountains.     You  have 
seen  how  they  all  come  down  to  the  lower  lands, 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  21 

gathering  the  waters  of  smaller  streams  as  they 
come,  and  growing  broader  and  broader,  until  at 
last  they  reach  the  salt  water  of  the  sea. 

14.  A  river's  part  in   making  this  world  good 
to  live  in  is  a  very  useful  one.     When  we  come 
to    another    river   later    on    we    will    try    to    see 
some    of   the   ways    in  which   it    may   be  useful. 
Now  we  must  look  to  our  oars. 

15.  After    passing    Cape    Charles    and    Cape 
Henry,    we    are     out     in     the    Atlantic    Ocean. 
Chesapeake  Bay  and  its  oyster-beds  are  behind  us. 

16.  Now,  if  you  wish,  we  will  row  around  to 
Norfolk   and   take   a   steamer    going    northward, 
for  it  would  not  be  pleasant  to  go  up  the  coast 
of    the   Atlantic    over    the   big  waves  in  a  row- 
boat,  even  an  imaginary  one. 


CHAPTER  III. 

UP  THE   COAST. 

1.  Our  steamer  has  come  from  the  South, 
and  is  going  to  New  York.  On  board  are  a 
number  of  people  who  have  been  in  Florida. 


22  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

One  gentleman  has  a  case  of  oranges  open  near 
him  on  the  deck,  and  amuses  himself  by  giving 
them  away  to  the  boys  and  girls  on  the  steamer. 
He  seems  to  enjoy  talking  to  his  young  friends. 

2.  "These  oranges  were  picked  fresh  from  the 
trees  only  a   few  days   ago,"  he   says.     "I    had 
the  pleasure  of  putting  some  of  them  into   this 
box   myself,  as   soon  as  they  were  picked   from 
the   tree   where    they  grew.      Here    is    a   picture 
of  the  orange-grove  where  I  found  them. 

3.  "  Orange-growing    is    a    great    business    in 
Florida.      It    is    so  warm    there    that    the    fruit 
can  ripen  out  of  doors  during   months  that    are 
cold    in    the     North.      It    keeps    a    great    many 
people  busy  cultivating  the  trees,  taking  care  of 
them,  picking  and  packing  the  fruit. 

4.  "  Now  when  I  was  a  boy,  an  orange  was  a 
great  treat.    Once  in  a  long  while,  at  Christmas- 
time,   or   on    a    birthday,  children    had    oranges 
given  them.     Most  of  our  oranges  in  those  days 
came  from  other  countries,  —  from  countries  over 
the  ocean.     Now  it   takes  all  the  time  of  thou- 
sands   of    people    in    our    own    country  to    grow 
oranges  for  boys  and  girls  to  eat.     Probably  the 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY 


23 


boys    and    girls    eat    half    of    the    oranges    that 
grow  in  Florida." 

5.  The  gentleman  takes  off  his  glasses,  wipes 
them  carefully, 
puts  them  back 
on  his  nose,  and 
looks  around 
the  deck  at  his 
hearers. 


A   FLORIDA   ORANGE-GROVE. 


6.  "  The  orange-tree  is  not  a  tall  tree,  nor  a 
very  short  one,"  he  continues;  "its  branches  do 
not  spread  about  like  the  branches  of  an  apple- 
tree.  It  isn't  a  very  good  tree  for  climbing,  but" 


24  THE  WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

—  and  the  gentleman  smiles  —  "it  is  a  very  good 
tree  to  stand  under  when  one  gets  to  be  too  old  to 
climb;  for  the  branches,  with  the  fruit,  hang  low." 

7.  When  you  have  looked  long  enough  at  the 
picture  of   the   orange-grove,  come  to  the  railing 
round    the    deck.     As    the    steamer    pushes    her 
way  along  through  the  blue  waves,  you  can  see 
a  great  deal  of  the  shores  we  are  passing ;    for 
our    make-believe    steamer    may    go    nearer    the 
coast    than  a  real  one  without    bringing  us  into 
danger  of  running  ashore  on  a  sand-reef. 

8.  We  can  see  the  islands  that  we  pass  just  as 
they  are.     Each  one  is  a  piece  of  the  land,  with 
the  water    all    around   it.      Some    of  the   islands 
are    large   and    some  are  small.     There  are  long 
inlets  back  of  these  coast  islands. 

9.  After    a    time    we    come    to    another    great 
bay,   extending    inward    between    two    points    of 
land.      Cape    Henlopen    and    Cape    May  are    on 
either  side  of  Delaware  Bay. 

10.  In  the  State  of  Delaware  are  fruit-orchards 
as    famous     as     the     orange-groves     of     Florida. 
Delaware    peaches    are    as    delicious    as    Florida 
oranges ;    and    if    you    wish     to    see    a    beautiful 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  25 

sight,  you  will   go  through  the  Delaware  peach- 
orchards  when  the  trees  are  all  in  bloom. 

11.  Cape  Henlopen  is  on  the  Delaware  side  of 
the  bay  and  Cape  May  on  the  northern  or  New 
Jersey  side.     The  beach  at  Cape   May  is   a  fine 
one  for  bathing,  and  as  we  go  by  in  the  steamer, 
we     can     see     on     the     shore     the     hotels     and 
cottages  where  people  come  to  live  in  the  sum- 
mer and  enjoy  the  sea-air  and  bathing. 

12.  We  see  thousands  of  these  summer  homes 
as  we    go    on    up    the  coast ;  for   Atlantic    City 
and    Long    Branch    are    summer-places,  too,  and 
very  many  of    the    houses    in    them    are    closed 
during  the  winter  months. 

13.  The  shore  has  been  sandy  all  the  way  up 
the    Jersey   coast.     Just   before    going   into    New 
York   Bay,  we    pass  a   long,  low  point  of   land, 
extending  toward  the  north.      It  is  very  sandy, 
and   it   is   in  shape    a   litcie   like   a  huge  hook ; 
so  this  cape  is  called  Sandy  Hook. 

14.  The  light  from    the  light-house  on   Sandy 
Hook   can   be    seen   when  we   are   far  out   upon 
the  ocean.     People  nearing  New  York  are  always 
glad   to   see   it,   for   they  know  their  journey  is 


26 


THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


almost  at  an  end.  And  no  matter  how  pleas- 
ant a  journey  may  have  been,  it  is  always 
pleasant  to  come  to  the  end  of  it. 

15.  As  we  go  np  the  Narrows  and  into  New 
York  Bay,  we  see  a  great  many  other   steamers 


BROOKLYN  BRIDGE  AND  THE  NARROWS. 

large  and  small,  and  sailing  vessels  also  from 
all  over  the  world.  Pilot-boats,  with  their  num- 
bers painted  on  their  white  sails,  come  down 
the  bay  to  guide  the  ships  into  port.  We  pass 
several  islands.  Our  steamer  goes  safely  among 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  27 

the    crowding    vessels    of    all    countries    to    the 
dock  where  we  are  to  land. 

16.  Yonder  is  a   ship  loaded  with   coffee  from 
the  far-off  island  of  Java.     There  is  one  loaded 
with    lumber   from    our  Western    forests,   sailing 
away    to     England,     and     there     is    another     in 
which   living   cattle   and   sheep   are   going  away 
to    be    turned    into    food    for    people    in    distant 
homes. 

17.  It    would    be    interesting    to    know    what 
every  ship  in  the  harbor  is  loaded  with.     Then 
we    could  realize  a    little    how  busy  people    are 
everywhere,  working  to  provide  food,  shelter,  and 
clothing    to  use  for    themselves    and    to  sell    to 
one  another. 

18.  Our    steamer    stops,   and    we    go     ashore. 
We  are  now  in  the  largest  city  in  America,  and 
one  of   the  most  important  cities  in  the  world. 
More  than  a  million  people  have  their  homes  here. 
New   York   carries  on  an   immense  trade,  which 
extends  not  only  to  all  parts  of  the  United  States, 
but  to  all  other  nations.     We  soon  find  our  way 
through  the  streets  to  Broadway. 


28 


THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
IN   NEW   YOliK. 


BIRD'S-EYE  VIEW  OF   NEW  YORK. 


1.  Broadway  is    a    long    and  wide    street,  full 
of    busy,  hurrying    people.     As    you  walk    along 
towards    the    post-office,  you    pass    tall    business 
buildings  and  hotels,  and  you    hurry  across    the 
street  to  keep  out  of  the  way  of   the  cabs    and 
carts  and  other  carriages,  which  crowd  one  another 
more  closely  than  the  ships  in  the  bay. 

2.  You  will  enjoy  standing  on  the  great  stone 
steps  of  the  post-office  for  a  little  while.     On  one 
side  of  you  is  Broadway,  full  of  people.     Before 
you  is  a  small  park.     There  are  benches   under 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  29 

the  trees,  and  you  may  go  and  sit  down  there 
if  you  like,  and  watch  the  hurrying  people,  as 
they  pass  to  and  fro,  each  intent  upon  his  special 
business. 

3.  Walk    along    Broadway  to    Trinity  Church. 
It  is  a  very  old  church,  built    long  ago,  and    in 
the  church-yard  behind  the  high  iron  fence  there 
are  many  graves.     The  view  from  Trinity  steeple 
is    worth    the  trouble  of   climbing  up  the  stairs  ; 
for  when    you    are    up  there    you    can    see  even 
more  than  you  saw  from  the  dome  of  the  Capi- 
tol at  Washington. 

4.  All  the  city  with  its  thousands  of  buildings, 
its  churches  and  its  homes,  the  trains  on  the  ele- 
vated   railroad  flying  about  the   city,  —  this  and 
much  more  you  can  see  from  Trinity  steeple. 

5.  You  must  take  a  ride  on  the  elevated  rail- 
road.    You   go    up  a    long  flight  of    stairs  from 
the  street    to  the    railroad    track.     A  little    gate 
is    opened    for    you.      The    train    comes    quickly 
along  on  its  high  platform.     You    go  into  a  car 
and    ride  off   up  town,  on  a  railroad   built    high 
up  in  the  air,  over  the  heads  of  the  people  in  the 
streets. 


30  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

6.  On  your  way  to  Central  Park,  get  out  and 
go  down  to  the  ground  again  at  one  of   the  up- 
town stations.     Walk   over  to  Fifth  Avenue,  and 
see  some  of  the  handsomest  homes  in  New  York. 

7.  You  will  wish  to  spend  the  day  in  Central 
Park,  and    indeed    you  would    need    to   be   there 
all  day  if  you  tried    to  walk    about  much.     But 
there   are   park  wagons    in  which    you    may  ride 
about,  and  see  the  flowers  and  the  fountains  and 
the    trees,  the    carriages   of    people    driving,  and 
the  goat-carts  with  which  small    boys  and    girls 
are  amusing  themselves. 

8.  You    must    have  a   ride,  too,  up  the  River- 
side drive.     On   one  side  of  you,  as  you  go,  are 
pleasant  homes  with  fine  grounds  and  trees.     On 
the  other  side  is  the  Hudson  River,  with  steam- 
ers coming  down  from  Albany,  and  bright  little 
boats  and  yachts  with  their  white  sails. 

9.  When  you  reach  a  knoll  a  few  miles  above 
the  city,  you  will  see  the  grave  of  General  Grant. 
From  this  knoll,  you  can  see  a  long  way  up  and 
down   the  beautiful   Hudson. 

10.  On  the  other  side  of  the  river,  a  little  dis- 
tance up  the  stream,  there  is  a  great  wall  of  rock 
rising  straight  up  froin  the  river  bank. 


OUR    OWN    COUNTRY.  31 

11.  This  wall  of    rock    is    several    miles    long, 
and  is  higher  than  Trinity  steeple.     It    is  called 
the    Palisades  of    the    Hudson,  and    people  come 
very  great  distances  to  see    this    river-wall  with 
the  forest  trees  growing  on  the  top  of  it,  and  the 
crumbling  fragments  falling  to  the  bank  below. 

12.  If    you    should    make    a    journey    up    the 
Hudson,  you  would  find  that  it  is  not  like  the 
Potomac  River  which  you  know  so  well,  for  the 
Hudson    has   come   through  hills    and    mountains 
all   the   way.      The   smaller   streams   which   come 
into  it  flow  more  rapidly  and  over   rockier  „  beds 
than  those  which  came  into  the  Potomac. 

13.  One  of  the  little  rivers  that  flows  into  the 
Hudson  has  a  very  useful  work  to  do  in  supply- 
ing the  people   in  the  great   city   of   New  York 
with  water.     This  is  the  Croton  River. 

14.  The  water  is   carried  down  to  the  city  in 
an  enormous  covered  trough,  called  an  aqueduct, 
made  for  the  purpose,  and  this,  in  its  turn,  sup- 
plies  the    pipes    for    the    kitchens,  and    the    bath- 
rooms, the  laundries  and  the  fountains  of  the  city. 

15.  You    may  have    a  drink  of  Croton  water 
when  you  go  back  to  town.      Most  of  the  cities 


32  THE  WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

in  our  country  are  supplied  with   good  water    in 
some  such  way. 

16.  You    will    not    wish    to    leave    New    York 
without     going     over     the     great     bridge    which 
connects  this  city  with   Brooklyn.    You  may  walk 
over,  or  go  over  in  a  cable  car,  just  as  you  like. 

17.  When  you  are  high  up  on  the  arch  of  the 
bridge,    you    see    a    steamer    with    its    tall    pipes 
and    masts    passing    down    East    River    beneath 
you.     In     the    river    below    you    can    see    ferry- 
boats, too,  going  back  and  forth  between  Brook- 
lyn and  New  York.      These  used  to  be  the  only 
means  of  crossing  from  the  island  on  which  New 
York   is   built    to   the   island  on  which   Brooklyn 
is    built.      But    now    the    big    bridge    makes     it 
easier  for  the  people  to  go  back  and  forth. 

18.  If  you  stop  to  think  now,  you  can  almost 
see  from  what  you  have  learned  that  New  York 
is  on  an  island.     There  is  the  bay  on  the  south 
side  of  the  city,  the  Hudson  River  on  the  west, 
and  East  River  on  the  east  side.     On  the   north 
is    a    little    creek    separating    Manhattan    Island 
from    the    shore.     Look    on    the    map,    and   you 
will  see  how  it  is. 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  33 

19.  Come  down  to  the  dock  again.  It  is  late 
in  the  afternoon  of  a  sunshiny  summer  day. 
A  steamer  is  waiting  there  all  ready  to  go  to 
Newport. 

CHAPTER  V. 

TO   NEWPORT. 

i 

1.  Our  steamer  goes  up  East  River,  and  under 
the*    Brooklyn    bridge,    from    which    we    looked 
down   awhile    ago.     On   we    sail,    and   from    our 
place  on    the   deck,  we  can    see    the  towns    and 
cities  clustering  so  closely  about  New  York  and 
Brooklyn  that  all  seem  like  one  great  city  whose 
different  parts  are  called  by  different  names. 

2.  The  island    on  which  Brooklyn  is    built    is 
a  very  large  and  long  one,  and   is    south  of    us 
all    night    as    we    go   towards    Newport    in    our 
steamer  berths.    It  is  called  Long  Island,  while  the 
water  we  are  passing  over  is  Long  Island  Sound. 
This    is    salt    sea    water,   and    is   very    deep    in 
many  places ;  still  it  is  not  so  deep  as  the  ocean. 
The   sound   is   divided   from   the  ocean   by  Long 
Island  and  the  main  land  is  north  of  it.     It  has 


34  THE  WORLD   AND    ITS  PEOPLE. 

two  openings   into  the  ocean,  one  through  New 
York  Bay,  and  one  at  its  eastern  end. 

3.  Most  sounds  are  like  this  one,  separated  from 
the  ocean  by  an  island.     They  are  not  like  bays, 
you  see,  because  a  bay  goes   up   into   the   main 
land,  and    has    only  one   opening    into   the    salt 
water. 

4.  Early  in  the  morning  we  land  at  Newport, 
one  of   the   capitals  of   Rhode  Island.     We  have 
travelled  all  night  on  the  Sound  steamer,  and  have 
come  safely  by  Point  Judith,  a  rocky  cape,  where 
in  storms  it  is  dangerous  for  passing  vessels,  and 
where  ships  are  sometimes  wrecked. 

5.  But  in  the  harbor  at  Newport,  the  water  is 
calm  and  clear.     We  can  go  for  a  walk  all  about 
Newport,  and  have  glimpses  of  the  sea  at  every 
turn,  for  this  town  is  on  an  island,  too. 

6.  It  often  happens  that  a  city  is  built  on  an 
island   because   there  is  a  good   harbor   between 
the  island  and  the  main  land. 

7.  Some  people  believe  that  the  first  ships  that 
landed   in    our   country   came   to   the    harbor   at 
Newport  hundreds  of  years  before  Columbus  dis- 
covered  America.     You    can    see   at    Newport   a 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY. 


35 


round  tower  of  stone,  built  very  firmly  and  all 
overgrown  with  ivy.  It  is  called  "  The  Old  Mill." 
8.  It  was  standing  there  when  people  whose 
writings  we  have 
first  went  to  the 
place,  and  was 
perhaps  built  by 
Norsemen  long 
ago.  Nobody 
can  be  quite  cer- 
tain that  it  was 
used  for  a  mill, 
and  the  poet 
Longfellow,  in 


one  of  his  poems, 

makes   it    the 

home  of  a  bold  Norse  sailor  and  his  bride.     Here 

is   a   stanza   from   the   poem,   "  The   Skeleton   in 

Armor  " :  — 


THE   OLD   MILL. 


9.  "Three  weeks  we  westward  bore, 
And  when  the  storm  was  o'er, 
Cloud-like  we  saw  the  shore, 

Stretching  to  leeward; 
There  for  my  lady's  bower 


36  THE  WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

Built  I  the  lofty  tower, 
Which  to  this  very  hour 
Stands  looking  seaward." 

10.  You  must  go  for  a  walk  on  the  Cliffs  after 
looking  at  the   Old   Mill.      The  Cliffs  are  rocky 
walls,  standing  straight  up  from  the  sea,  as  the 
Palisades  rise  from  the  water  of  the  Hudson  River. 
But  they  are  not  so  high  as  the  Palisades.     The 
pebble  you  toss  down  into    the  water  from   the 
walk    splashes  in  the  sea   before  you  can  count 
ten,   unless   you   count   very   fast   indeed.     Your 
path  is  a  pleasant  one  as   you    stroll   around  the 
Cliffs,  for  they  are  grassy  to  the  very  edge  of  the 
rocks. 

11.  The   people   who   have    summer   homes   at 
Newport  have  made  their  grounds  beautiful,  and 
the  houses   you  pass  in  your  walk   around   this 
path  are  all  very  handsome  ones. 

12.  There  is  a  fine  beach  for  bathing;    and  if 
you  wait  until  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  in  the  fore- 
noon, you  will  have  a  gay  bathing  scene  before 
you,  for  then  numbers  of  people,  young  and  old, 
come    down   for    their   morning   dip   in   the    sea. 
Later   in   the  day  there  is  a  great  deal  of  driv- 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  37 

ing  on  Bellevue  Avenue,  and  you  see  fine  car- 
riages and  horses,  as  the  people  drive  up  and 
down. 

13.  Newport  is  a  city  of  pleasure,  and  full  of 
beautiful  summer  homes.     Our  steamer  now  takes 
us  to  Fall  River,  which  is  a  working  town.     The 
people  here  are  nearly  all  very  busy ;  and  the  little 
lapid  river  that  supplies  power  to  run  the  mills,  in 
which  many  of  the  people  work,  is  busy  too.     You 
have  seen  several  ways  in  which  a  river  may  be 
useful.     Here  at  Fall  River  you  see   one  helping 
to  make  calicoes  by  its  work  in  the  mills. 

14.  You  walk  through  one  of  the  mills  where 
calicoes  are  woven,  and  made  ready  for  the  stamp- 
ing of  the  patterns  by  the  print-works.     In  the 
first  great  room  are  huge  bales  of  cotton  brought 
from  the  Southern  States.     In  other  rooms  people 
are  picking,  carding,  and  working  at  the  looms. 
The   process   of    manufacture    goes   on   until   the 
packages  of  cotton  cloth  are  folded,  ready  for  the 
printing. 

15.  There  is  a  mill  for  making  ginghams,  and 
a  woollen  mill,  also,  in  this  busy  town.     People  in 
distant  countries,  as  well  as  people   in  our  own 


38  THE   WORLD    AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

country,  wear  clothes  made  of  cloth  manufactured 
in  Fall  River. 

16.  Above  the  town  is  a  large  and  lovely  lake 
from    which   a    swift    little   river   runs   down   to 
the  bay.     You  could  not  take  a  boat  journey  on 
this  stream,  for  it  plunges  down  the  steep  hill  at 
a  rapid  rate. 

17.  At  one  place  in  the  town  the  river  quite 
disappears  for  a  distance,  and  now  public  buildings 
stand  on  made  land,  above  the  hidden  river. 

18.  Further  up  the  bay,  as  far  as  steamers  can 
go,  on  an  arm  of  the  bay  called  the  Narragansett 
River,  is  the  city  of  Providence,  the  other  capital 
of  Rhode  Island.    It  is  a  city  of  hills,  and  on  these 
hills  are  many  pleasant  homes. 

19.  In   the   business   part   of   the   town   is   an 
arcade,  a  long,  covered  archway  from  which  open 
a  great  number  of   stores  and  shops.     There  are 
very  few  arcades  in  our  American  cities,  although 
they  are  quite  common  in  the  cities  of  Europe. 

20.  Brown   University  and   the    State    Normal 
School  are  here,  and  the  city  is  noted  for  its  fine 
academies  and  other  schools. 


OUR    OWN    COUNTRY.  39 


CHAPTER  VI. 
IN  BOSTON. 

1.  We    are    now    going   to   Boston.      Look   on 
the  map  and    see    how  short   the   journey  is   by 
the    railroad.     It  would    take    a  long  time,  even 
if    the    steamer  went  very  fast,  to  go  from    Fall 
River    down  past   the    islands  of  Martha's  Vine- 
yard   and   Nantucket,  and    around  Cape    Cod    to 
Boston.     See  on  the  map  how  long  and   narrow 
this  cape  is. 

2.  The  waves  of    the  ocean  and    the  waves  of 
the  bay  have  been  washing  away  the  sandy  land 
for    hundreds    of    years.      Cape    Cod    looks  very 
narrow  on    the    map,  but    it    is  a    strip  of    land 
wide  enough  for  farms,  towns,  and  villages. 

3.  There  are  many  acres  of  cranberry  marshes 
on  Cape  Cod ;    and  the  bright  berries,  picked   in 
their  season  by  old  and  young,  are  sent  away  in 
boxes  and  barrels,  to  be  served  with  roast  turkey 
at  thousands  of  dinner-tables,  east  and  west. 

4.  The  train  which  takes  you  to  Boston    goes 
through    a    pleasant   country.      There   are    farms 


40  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

with  small  fields,  and  towns  with  many  white 
houses,  and  there  are  woods,  hills,  and  clear  run- 
ning streams. 

5.  As  we  near  the  city,  the  towns  and  villages 
are  closer  together,  and  for  several  miles  before 
coming  into  Boston  we  pass  through  beautiful  sub- 
urban  towns.      Many  men   who   have   homes  in 
these  suburbs  go  into  the  city  for  business  every 
day.     It  is  said  that  no  other  city  has  so  many 
pleasant  country  places  within    ten    miles  of   its 
business  centre.     Up  and  down  the  shores  of  the 
bay,  by  the  lakes,  and  in  the  groves  which  sur- 
round the  city, — everywhere  are  beautiful  homes. 

6.  Boston's  business  streets  are  not  so  straight, 
broad,  and  handsome  as  those  of  Washington  and 
New  York ;    but   you  need  not   go,  at  your  first 
visit,  to  the  narrow  and  picturesque  streets  found 
in  the  business  part  of  the  city. 

7.  As   you   come    out  of   the   station,  you   see 
two  cars  approaching  quite  rapidly.     Beckon,  and 
the  man  who  manages  the  motor  will  stop  these 
electric  cars.       Get  in  and  you  will  be  whizzed 
along  past  pleasant  homes  and  beautiful  churches, 
through  wide  streets   and   roads,  then    slowly  by 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  41 

an  easy  grade  up  a  long  hill.  On  top  of  this  hill 
is  a  great  reservoir  fed  by  pipes  from  Lake  Cochit- 
uate ;  from  this  reservoir  the  city  receives  most 
of  its  water  supply. 

8.  On   your  way  back  into  town,  you  may,  if 
you  like,  stop  the  car  at  Beacon  Street  and  walk 
over  Beacon  Hill.     As  you    go  along  the  street, 
you  catch  glimpses,  now  and  then,  at  cross  streets, 
of  a  broad  lake-like  sheet  of  water  back  of  the 
houses  on  your  left.    This  is  called  the  Back  Bay. 

9.  Once  the  water  of  this  inner  bay  extended 
to  the  very  place  where  you  are  now  walking,  and 
even    still    farther    inland.       More    ground   was 
needed,  on  which   to   build  houses   in   this   part 
of   the  city,  and  the  water  was  shallow  on  this 
side   of    the   bay.      So    at    an    expense    of   much 
labor  and    money,  a  great  stretch   of   land   was 
made,   by  filling   up  this    side    of    the  bay  with 
earth    brought    from    outside    the    city.     On   this 
made  land  the  newer  and  broader  streets  of  the 
city  have  been  laid  out. 

10.  You  walk  on  and  pass  the  Public  Garden, 
brilliant  with   flowers   and   foliage.      As   you   go 
on  up  the  hill  you  pass  the  Common.     This  is  a 


THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


grassy  park  of  more  than  forty  acres,  shaded 
with  noble  old  elm  trees  —  the  pride  of  all 
Bostonians.  This  is  at  your  right  hand,  and  at 


your  left  are  high  houses, 
older  than  those  on  the 
made  land. 

11.  On  top  of  Beacon 
Hill  is  the  State  House. 
It  is  the  capitol  of  the 
State  of  Massachusetts, 
and  its  dome  is  gilded  so 
that  it  shines  and  glimmers  in  the  sunlight. 
Whenever  you  go  into  the  suburbs  of  Boston, 
you  can  see  from  far  away  that  big,  bright, 
gilded  dome  shining  on  the  top  of  Beacon  Hill. 


THE   STATE   HOUSE. 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  43 

An  extension  is  soon  to  be  added  to  the  State 
House,  and  the  picture  shows  how  it  will  look 
when  the  architect's  plans  are  carried  out  and 
the  building  is  completed. 

12.  Boston  is  often   spoken  of    as  "the  Hub." 
This  nickname  was  given  to  it  many  years  ago. 
Dr.    Oliver    Wendell    Holmes,    one    of   the    most 
famous  of  the  many  literary  men  who  have  lived 
near    Beacon    Hill,  wrote    in   one   of   his   books, 
"Boston  State  House  is  the  hub  of  the  universe." 

13.  The    hub  of    a  wheel    is    its    central    part, 
you  know,    and  Boston   has   been   noted    as    the 
centre  of    learning    in    our  country.      There    are 
many  great   colleges    and    libraries    in    and    near 
the  city ;    and    although   books    are  now  written 
and  published  in  every  large  city  in  the  United 
States,    many    of    our    first    great    writers    lived 
near  Boston,  and  the  city  has  become  celebrated 
for  the  literary  taste  of  its  people. 

14.  To  your  bird's-eye  views  of  other  cities  of 
our    country,    you    must    add    the   out-look    from 
the  lantern  above  the  dome  of  the  State  House. 
When    you    have    climbed    up    to    this    point    of 
view,  you  can  see  a  fine  panorama.     On  the  east 


44 


THE   WORLD    AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


is  Boston  harbor;  dotted  with  islands,  and  open- 
ing into  Massachusetts  Bay.  You  can  see  the 
masts  of  many  vessels,  and  there  is  a  great 
ocean  steamer  just  leaving  Boston  Harbor.  You 
have  glimpses  of  the  water  of  the  Charles  River 
flowing  through  Cambridge  and  other  towns  at 
the  west. 

15.  You  can   also  see  the  tower  of   Memorial 


THE    HOME   OF   LONGFELLOW. 


Hall  at  Harvard  College.  Not  far  from  the  col- 
lege is  the  Longfellow  home,  the  "  Craigie  House," 
where  the  poet  lived  and  died,  and  where  General 
Washington  once  lived  for  a  short  time. 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  45 

16.  Look    towards     the     north    and     see     the 
Monument    on    Bunker    Hill    in    Charlestown,   a 
lofty   monument    of    granite,    to    mark    the    spot 
where  an  important  battle  was  once  fought,  —  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill.     As  you  look  towards  the 
south,  the  city  is  spread  out  as  in  a  picture.     The 
Common     lies     in     front     of     you     just     beyond 
Beacon    Street.*  You   can    almost   imagine   your- 
self walking  on  the  tops  of  those  thickly  spread- 
ing elm  branches. 

17.  Beyond  and  to  the   left  are  high  business 
buildings,    depots,    factories,    hotels,    stores,  and 
offices ;  and  to  the  right  are  rows  of  city  dwell- 
ings, reaching  far  away  towards  a  long  low  range 
of  hills  called  the  Blue  Hills. 

18.  Come    down    the    State   House    steps    and 
walk   from   Beacon    Hill    to  Washington   Street. 
You     pass    the     fountains     and    statues    in    the 
grounds    of     the    State    House.      The    grass    is 
always    green    on   this   sunny  hill    quite  early  in 
the  spring. 

19.  Along    the    street  a  short   distance   is   the 
Athenaeum,   a    library  building    where    there    are 
also    some    fine    pictures.     A  little    farther  down 


46  THE   WORLD   AND   ITS   PEOPLE. 

the  hill  rises  the  tall  tower  of  the  Parker  House. 
On  your  way  to  Washington  Street  you  go  across 
Tremont  Street  and  down  School  Street  past  the 
City  Hall. 

20.  Narrow  Washington    Street,  with    its  high 
buildings,  is  one  of  the  chief    business  streets  of 
the  city.     Within  a  short  distance  of  each  other 
are  the   Old   South  Meeting-House    and   the   Old 
State   House.     Just  around   the   corner   from   the 
meeting-house  door  is  a  building   marked  with  a 
tablet    saying   that  here   Benjamin  Franklin  was 
born. 

21.  A  short  walk  through  the  winding  streets, 
and    you   will   come    to    Faneuil    Hall,  which    is 
called  the  Cradle  of  Liberty.     In  the  early  times, 
when     our     forefathers     wished     to     make     this 
country    independent   of    England,    it   was    their 
custom     to    meet    in    this    hall.      The    hall     is 
still  used  for  public  meetings.    The  lower  part  of 
the    building    is    now   a    market    for    vegetables, 
fruits,  and  the  like.      On   every  hand,  in  Boston, 
you  can   see  something   interesting  which  has   to 
do  with  the  story  of  our  country. 

22.  You     will      like     to     cross      Charlestown 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  47 

bridge  and    go    out  for   a   ride   on   the  Medford 
road,  the  one  that  Paul  Revere  took, 

"  On  the  eighteenth  of  April  in  seventy-five. " 

From    the  bridge  you  can   see  the  tower  of    the 
old  North  Church,  of  which  the  poet  has  sung, 

"  He  said  to  his  friend,  '  If  the  British  march 
By  land  or  sea  from  the  town  to-night, 
Hang  a  lantern  aloft  in  the  belfry  arch 
Of  the  North  Church  tower  as  a  signal  light, — 
One  if  by  land,  and  two  if  by  sea, 
And  I  on  the  opposite  shore  will  be 
Ready  to  ride  and  spread  the  alarm 
Through  every  Middlesex  village  and  farm 
For  the  country  folk  to  be  up  and  to  arm.' " 


CHAPTER  VII. 
NEW  ENGLAND. 

1.  Six  of  the  United  States  form  a  part  of 
our  country  called  New  England.  Boston  is  the 
largest  city  and  the  capital  of  the  State  of 
Massachusetts.  Maine  is  the  largest  New  Eng- 
land State,  and  Rhode  Island  is  the  smallest. 


48  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

2.  You    have  already  been   in  the  little   State 
of    Rhode    Island,   while    visiting    Newport    and 
Providence.     The  other   New  England   States  are 
Connecticut,  Vermont,  and  New  Hampshire. 

3.  In    each    of    these    States    there    are    many 
mills   and  factories,  not  only  for    making  cotton 
and  woollen   cloths,  but    also  for  making    paper, 
boots  and  shoes,  steam-engines,  straw-hats,  chairs 
and  tables,  and  indeed  almost  everything  one  can 
think  of. 

4.  One  of  the  reasons  that  so  many  people  in 
New  England  are  busy  in  manufacturing  is  this: 
The  farms   of   this  part   of    the   country  are   not 
large   enough,  nor    is    the    soil    rich   enough,  to 
grow  grain  and  fruit,   and  cattle  and   sheep,  to 
feed  the  people  here.    So  they  make  things  which 
they  can   sell  to  the  people  in  the  West,  where 
there    are    larger     and     richer     farms     than    in 
New  England. 

5.  Still    there  are  many  good  farms   in   these 
States,  even  in  the  rough  parts  of  the   country; 
and  there  are  many  hills  and  mountains  here. 

6.  When  several  mountains  stand  together  in  a 
line,  we  call  them  a  chain  of  mountains.     Some  of 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  49 

the  high  points  of  land  may  extend  further  up 
towards  the  sky  than  others ;  these  are  called 
peaks.  A  boy  who  had  never  seen  the  moun- 
tains once  asked  his  teacher  if  people  could  see 
their  tops. 

7.  There  is  no  mountain  in  the  world  so  high 
that    one    has    any   difficulty   in    seeing   the   top 
of  it,  unless   indeed  the  clouds   are  hanging  low 
about  the  peak.     But  it  would  take  the  boy  a 
long    time    to    walk    to    the    top    of     any    high 
mountain  in  New  England. 

8.  In  the   State   of  Vermont  there  is  a  range 
called   the    Green    Mountains.      There    is    much 
fine  marble  quarried  in  Vermont ;    slate  is  found 
there,  and   made  into  the    slates  used    at  school. 
There  is  marble  in  New  Hampshire,  too,  and  also 
strong    and  beautiful    granite,  which  is  used  for 
buildings  in  many  towns  far  and  near. 

9.  There    is    a  chain    of    mountains    in    New 
Hampshire,    called    the    White    Mountains,    cele- 
brated for  their  grandeur  and  beauty.     A  large 
number    of    people    visit    the    White    Mountains 
every    summer    to    enjoy    the     fine    views    and 
breathe    the    pure    air    on    the    heights.      These 


50 


THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


IN   THE   WHITE   MOUNTAINS. 


mountains  are  in  two  groups  separated  by  a  high 
plain. 

10.  A  large  plain  of  this  sort  is  sometimes  called 
a  plateau.     The  openings  between  the  mountains 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  51 

are  notches.  Franconia  Notch  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  of  these  mountain  gateways.  Standing 
on  the  porch  of  a  house  at  Franconia,  one  may 
see  long,  lovely  reaches  of  mountain  and  valley. 

11.  In  the  early  autumn  the  frosts  make  the 
maples  and  oaks  on  the  mountain  sides  gorgeous 
with  color,  while  in  the  valleys  below  the  trees 
are  still  green.    The  mountains,  late  in  September, 
are  like  great   bright   bouquets,   and  the   foliage 
of  the  trees  shows  off  brilliantly  against  the  clear, 
deep  blue  of  the  sky. 

12.  Mount  Washington  is  the  highest  peak  in 
this  group.     There  is  a  very  steep  railroad  going 
up  to  the  look-out  on  the  top.     You  would  be  very 
likely  to  close  your  eyes  to  keep  yourself   from 
growing   dizzy   should  the  mountain  engine  take 
you  up  the  precipitous  incline. 

13.  The  coast  of  New  England  has  many  fine 
harbors,  where  vessels  carrying  goods  and  passen- 
gers  back   and   forth   may  land,  and  be  loaded, 
or  unloaded. 

14.*  All  along  the  coast  from  Cape  Cod  to 
Passamaquoddy  Bay,  which  is  at  the  most  eastern 
part  of  our  country,  the  business  of  fishing  is 


52 


THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


carried  on.  Our  fishing-vessels  sometimes  go  fur- 
ther still,  even  as  far  as  the  banks  of  Newfound- 
land ;  but  there  is  a  vast  amount  of  fish  caught 
in  the  waters  off  our  own  coast. 


A   MOUNTAIN   VALLEY. 


15.  From  the  headland  at  Nahant,  where  sailors 
say  the  sea-serpent  sometimes  comes,  a  fisherman 
might  sail  his  boat  down  to  the  rocks  of  Cape 
Ann,  where  millions  of  wild  roses  bloom.  If  he 
caught  only  a  few  fishes  of  each  kind  found  in 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY  53 

these  waters,  he  would   have   a  load   before   his 
trip  was  done. 

16.  Imagine  him  as  he  goes  past  the  islands  of 
Boston  Harbor  with  the  sun  shining  on  the  white 
sails  of   his  boat.     He  steers  safely  through  the 
straits,  and  on  towards  the  promontory  of  Nahant. 
He  passes  Revere  Beach,  a  long  way  off,  and  skirts 
the  sandy  shores  and  the  high  cliffs  of  Nahant. 

17.  The  fisherman's  boat  goes  on.     He  can  see 
the  narrow  neck  of  land  that  separates  the  bay  on 
which  he  rides  from  Lynn  Harbor.     This  neck  of 
land,  or  isthmus,  goes  out  from  the  mainland  to 
the   Nahant   headland.       There    is    a    fine    drive 
along  the  beautiful  beach. 

18.  Beyond    is   Lynn    Harbor,   in  which    may 
be   seen    the   masts   of   many   ships   which   have 
entered  the  quiet  water. 

19.  He  comes  to  another  fine  harbor  at  Marble- 
head,  where  his  boat  will  be  safe,  no  matter  how 
terrible  a   storm  may  rage  outside.     The  people 
at  Marblehead  have  been  fishermen  for  hundreds 
of  years.     It  is  said  that  the  children  there  know 
more  about  the  fishing  business  than  most  grown 
people  elsewhere. 


54  THE  WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

20.  On  goes  the  fishing-boat ;  it  sails  in  and  out 
of  the  harbor  of  Salem.     This  is  the  city  where 
people  were   hung   for  witches   a   long  time  ago. 
Here  may  be  seen  the  sails  of  beautiful,  fast-sail- 
ing yachts.      Here  is  situated  one  of  the  State 
Normal  Schools  of  Massachusetts. 

21.  On  sails  the  boat,  past  the  rocks  at  Man- 
chester,  and    the   sandy  shore   where   the  waves 
make   such  music  that  it  is  called  "  the  singing 
beach."     Farther   still  on  the  North  Shore,  near 
the  pleasant   town  of  Magnolia,  is    a   dangerous 
reef  of  rocks,  a  little  way  out  in  the  sea.      It  is 
called  the  reef  of  Norman's  Woe. 

22.  In  the  sunshine  on  a  bright  day  the  "white 
and  fleecy  waves  "  breaking   over  the  rocks  look 
"  soft    as    carded   wool."     But   when   there    is   a 
storm,  this  reef  of  Norman's  Woe   is   very   dan- 
gerous.     Here   was   the    wreck   of   the    schooner 
Hesperus,  of  which  you  have  read  in  the  ballad 
by  Longfellow. 

23.  "  Colder  and  colder  blew  the  wind, 

A  gale  from  the  northeast, 
The  snow  fell  hissing  in  the  brine, 
And  the  billows  frothed  like  yeast. 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  55 

"And  fast  through  the  midnight  dark  and  drear, 

Through  the  whistling  sleet  and  snow, 
Like  a  sheeted  ghost,  the  vessel  swept 
Towards  the  reef  of  Norman's  Woe." 

24.  You  remember  how  the  skipper  bound  his 
little  daughter  to  the  mast,  and  wrapped  her  warm 
in  his  coat  before  he  died  of  the  bitter  cold,  and 
how  the  little  girl,  too,  was  drowned. 

"The  salt  sea  was  frozen  on  her  breast, 
The  salt  tears  in  her  eyes." 

25.  Our  fisherman   sails   on  past  the  beautiful 
bay  at  Gloucester,  where  he  sees  the  sunset  light 
glowing  on  the  water ;  still  he  goes   on,  and  at 
night  casts  anchor  in  a  quiet  cove  on  the  coast 
of  Cape  Ann.       One    of   the    poems  of  Whittier 
about  Cape  Ann  begins  :  — 

"  From  the  hills  of  home,  forth  looking,  far  beneath  the 
tent-like  span 

Of  the  sky,  I  see  the  white  gleam  of  the  headland  of 
Cape  Ann. 

Well  I  know  its  coves  and  beaches  to  the  ebb-tide  glim- 
mering down, 

And  the  white-walled  hamlet  children  of  its  ancient  fish- 
ing-town." 


56  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

CHAPTER   VIII. 
MORE   ABOUT  NEW   ENGLAND. 

1.  The  Merrimac  River  comes  down  to  the  sea 
at  the  pleasant  old  town  of  Newburyport.     The 
Merrimac  is  one  of  the  busiest  of    all  the  useful 
rivers    of   New  England.      In   order    to    use    the 
water-power  furnished  by  this  river  many  mills 
and  factories  have  been  built  along  its  banks. 

2.  It  is  a  rapid  river,  and  at  the  cities  of  Lowell 
and  Manchester  there  are  falls  which   add  much 
to    its   power.     Lawrence,    Nashua,   and    Concord 
are  other  important  towns  on  the  banks   of  the 
Merrimac. 

3.  You  can  scarcely  think  of  a  thing  that  is  not 
manufactured  in  some  one  of  these  places.     Pins 
and   pumps,  machinery  and   medicines,  toys   and 
tools,   shoes,  locomotives,  and   carriages,  as   well 
as  all  sorts  of  cloths,  are  made  in  the  mills  on  the 
Merrimac. 

4.  You  cannot  imagine  the  miles  of  cotton  cloth 
and  prints  made  here.     One  mill  alone  can  make 
enough  gingham  in  a  day  to  give  two  or  three 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  57 

thousand  girls  each  a  new  dress.  And  with  all 
the  gingham  mills  going,  you  would  think  every- 
body in  the  world  would  have  to  wear  nothing 
but  gingham,  in  order  to  use  it  all  up.  But  you 
would  think  the  same  when  you  saw  the  great 
piles  of  woollen  cloths  and  calicoes  ready  to  be  sent 
away. 

5.  Yet  there  are  people  to  buy  everything  that 
is  made ;  and  the  men  who  own  the  mills  do  all 
that  they  can  to  improve  the  machinery  and  obtain 
better  workmen  and  workwomen,  so  that  the  mills 
can  produce  things   faster,  and  thus   supply  the 
demand. 

6.  Concord  is  the   capital  of  New  Hampshire. 
If   you  were  in  Concord,   and  should  go   on  the 
train   from   there   to    Montpelier,   the    capital    of 
Vermont,  on  your  way  you  would  cross  a  river 
much  wider  and  longer  than  the  Merrimac.     This 
is  the  Connecticut  River.    It  separates  the  State  of 
New  Hampshire  from  Vermont,  then  flows  south- 
ward a  long  way,  through  the  States  of  Massachu- 
setts and  Connecticut,  till  at  last  it  reaches  the 
salt  water  of  Long  Island  Sound. 

7.  Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  boy  who  lived 


58  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

on  the  banks  of  the  Connecticut  River,  in  a  city 
named  Hartford,  which  you  can  easily  find  on  the 
map.  This  boy  had  studied  geography ;  and  he 
knew  that  the  map  of  the  State  of  Vermont, 
the  "Green  Mountain  State,"  is  often  colored 
green.  And  he  had  the  notion  in  his  head  that 
the  country  in  Vermont  was  greener  than  in 
Connecticut,  and  that  it  would  look  a  good  deal 
like  the  map. 

8.  It  came  about  in  time  that  he  went  with  his 
father    to    pay  a  visit  to  an  aunt  who  lived  in 
Vermont.     It  was  winter,  and  the  ground  was  all 
covered  with  snow.     The  Green  Mountains  were 
as  white  as  the  hills  near  his  home,  or  as  Mount 
Tom  and  Mount   Holyoke,  which  he  had  passed 
while  coming  across  Massachusetts  in  the  cars. 

9.  "  Well,    well,    well !  "    exclaimed    the    boy, 
"Vermont  doesn't  look  a  bit  like  the  map!     It's 
the  same  color  as  Connecticut." 

10.  Maps  are  very  good  things  to  give  one  an 
idea  of  the  relations  between  different  parts  of  .the 
country;   but  when  you   look  at  the  long,  dark 
line   on  the   map,   marked  "  Connecticut   River," 
you  should  think  of  a  broad  and  beautiful  river, 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  59 

the  longest  of  all  in  New  England.  You  would 
find  very  many  mills  in  a  journey  down  this  "long 
river."  That  is  the  meaning  of  its  Indian  name. 

11.  Most  boys  would  wish  to  visit  a  town  named 
Waterbury,  which  is  on  another  river  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  state. 

12.  Can  you  tell  why  ? 

13.  At  New  Haven  you  would  see  the  buildings 
of  Yale  College,  and  walk  under  the  branches  of 
beautiful  elm  trees.     New  Haven  is  called  "  The 
City  of  Elms." 

14.  You  have  been  wandering  about  a  little  in 
every    one    of    the    New   England    States,    except 
Maine.     You  have  seen  that  they  all  have  a*" sea- 
coast,  except  Vermont.     The  coast  of  New  Hamp- 
shire is  not  very  extensive,  but  on  it  is  situated 
the  city  of  Portsmouth. 

15.  Then   comes   the    coast   of   Maine,  extend- 
ing for  hundreds  of  miles,  with  bays,  inlets,  coves, 
and  river-mouths,  and  more  beautiful  islands  than 
have  ever   been  counted.      Our  fisherman  would 
find  salmon  in  the  Penobscot  and  the  Kennebec 
rivers ;  and  he  would  find  logs  for  lumber  float- 
ing on  these  rivers.     In  the  whiter  a  great  deal 


60 


THE   WORLD    AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


of  ice  is  cut  on  the  Maine  rivers  and  lakes  for 
the  use  of  people  in  many  different  places. 
16.  Up  in  the  great  forests  of  Maine,  men  are 
busy  every  winter  cutting 
down  trees  for  lumber,  and 
the   rivers   carry   the    logs 
for    them     down     to     the 
towns      and      the      ships. 


AT    PORTLAND. 


You  understand 
now,  too,  some  of 
the  reasons  why 
large  towns  are  al- 
most always  built  on  or  near  rivers.  Portland 
and  Bangor  are  among  the  large  and  important 
towns  in  the  State  of  Maine. 

17.  Portland  has  a  beautiful  harbor.     Augusta 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  61 

is  the  capital  of  Maine.  Mount  Desert  Island  is 
a  famous  summer  resort.  People  come  to  the 
Maine  coast  and  the  Maine  woods  in  summer 
from  towns  very  far  away. 

18.  Passamaquoddy  Bay  is  the  most  easterly 
bay  in  our  country  ;  beyond,  both  land  and  water 
belong  to  another  nation.  The  water  near  the 
shore  is  owned  by  the  country  that  owns  the 
land.  The  open  ocean,  of  course,  belongs  to 
everybody ;  but  each  government  must  look  after 
and  maintain  the  rights  of  fishermen  near  its 
own  shores. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

FROM   LAKE   CHAMPLAIN   TO   PITTSBURG. 

1.  Between   the   Green  Mountains  of  Vermont 
and    the    Adirondack    Mountains   of    New    York 
lies  a  beautiful  lake  called  Lake  Champlain.     The 
name  was  given  to  it  in  honor  of  a  French  travel- 
ler who  explored  this  wild  northern  country  hun- 
dreds of  years  ago,  before  any  white  people  had 
found  homes  in  New  England. 

2.  This  lake  has  very' clear  and  sparkling  water, 


62 


THE.   WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  63 

and  it  is  dotted  over  with  wooded  islands.  From 
either  shore  you  can  see  in  the  distance  the 
forest-covered  mountains.  The  city  of  Burling- 
ton is  situated  near  this  lake.  It  is  noted  for 
the  beauty  of  the  surrounding  scenery  and  for 
its  excellent  university. 

3.  There  is  a  smaller  lake,  noted  for  its  lovely 
scenery,  at   the   upper   end  of    Lake  Champlain. 
This  is  Lake  George.      If  you  look  for  it  on  the 
map  you   will    find  that  it  lies  at  the   southern 
end  of  Lake  Champlain.     This  is  the  upper  end 
of    the    lake,   for    the   water    flows    towards    the 
north  here,  instead  of  towards  the   south,  as  in 
the  Hudson  River,  which  is  not  far  from  Lake 
George. 

4.  There  is  an  elevation  of  land  which  divides 
the  streams  that  flow  into  Lake  George  and  Lake 
Champlain  from  those  flowing  down  towards  the 
Hudson.      If  you  should  stand  on  a  high  moun- 
tain   in    the    Adirondacks,    you   would    see    the 
streams  on   one   side  of   you   flowing   north   and 
east    towards    Lake    Champlain,  while   those    on 
the  other   side  flow  south   towards   the  Hudson. 

5.  The  Adirondacks  are  covered  with  forests, 


64  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

and  in  almost  every  little  valley  is  a  small  lake 
There  are  few  farms  and  villages  in  these  moun- 
tains. It  is  too  wild  and  rugged  for  farm  and 
home  life,  but  in  the  summer  there  are  many 
camping  parties  here.  At  this  time  of  year  the 
hotels  near  the  mountains  are  full  of  visitors. 

6.  People    come    great    distances    to    hunt    in 
these    mountains,   and    to    fish    in    the    mountain 
streams.      Iron   ore   is   found   here.      It  is  taken 
out  of   the  mines    and  carried  to  towns   in   the 
valleys,  where  it  is  made'  into  many  useful  things. 

7.  South   of    the    Adirondacks,   on    a   railroad 
north  of  Albany,  is  the  famous  town  of  Saratoga. 
If  you  should  pay  a  visit  to  Saratoga,  you  would 
very  likely  spend  a  morning  in  going  from  spring 
to   spring  to   taste  the  waters,  and  in  trying  to 
decide  which  one  you  liked  best. 

8.  These  waters  are  considered  good  for  various 
diseases,  but  people   who   have  no    illness  go  to 
Saratoga   for  amusement   in  the  summer  season. 
Nearly  every  house  in  Saratoga  has  a  wide  piazza, 
and   fine  carriages  and  gayly  dressed  people  are 
to  be  seen  in  the  streets  all  summer  long.     Not 
far    away,  at   Mount    McGregor,   is   the   cottage 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY. 


65 


where   General  Grant  died.     The  house  is  much 
visited  by  tourists  to  the  springs. 

9.  Albany,  the  capital  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  is  on  the  Hudson  River.  Here  are  the  very 
steamers  which  you  saw  leaving  the  city  of  New 
York  to  come  up  the  Hudson,  when  you  were 
looking  at  the  Palisades.  Here  is  the  large  and 
splendid  new  Capitol  upon  which  workmen  have 
been  busy  for  years,  and  it  is  not  yet  finished. 


ON  THE   ERIE  CANAL. 


*  10.  The  Erie  Canal  comes  into  a  great  basin  at 
Albany.  You  have  imagined  yourself  travelling  on 
boats,  steamers,  and  railroad  trains.  Suppose  you 
take  the  canal-boat  at  Albany  for  a  short  trip. 
11.  People  do  not  usually  care  to  travel  on  canal- 


66  THE   WORLD    AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

boats ;  they  go  too  slowly.  They  are  used  chiefly 
for  carrying  grain  and  lumber.  An  immense  quan- 
tity of  grain  comes  to  Albany  from  the  West,  by 
way  of  the  Erie  Canal.  This  is  a  very  important 
water  course. 

12.  But  as   there  is  no  current  to  hasten  the 
boats,  and  as  they  are  towed  along  by  horses  or 
mules  that  walk  on   a  path  by  the   side   of  the 
canal,  you  can  imagine  that  everybody  employed 
about  a  canal-boat   acts  as  if  he   had    plenty  of 
time.     Very  often  an  entire  family  makes  its  home 
on  the  boat,  and  their  floating  house  travels  slowly 
back  and  forth  with  them. 

13.  A   canal    is   always    made   on   fairly   level 
ground ;  but  whenever  the  land  slopes  much,  the 
canal-boats  are  taken  up  and  down  by  means  of 
gates  called  locks.    You  will  enjoy  watching  your 
boat  as  it  goes  up  through  a  lock. 

14.  When  you  come  to  the  first  lock  in  this 
quiet    stream,  this  "home-made   river,"  —  for  so 
a  bright  boy  once  called   the  Erie  Canal,  —  you 
will  notice  that  there  are  two  sets  of  gates  in 
it,  the  upper  and  the  lower. 

15.  In  going  up  the  canal  your  boat  enters  the 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  67 

lower  gate,  which  is  opened  for  you  by  the  man 
who  tends  the  lock.  Then  he  closes  the  gate 
behind  you,  and  opens  some  valves  in  the  upper 
gate.  Slowly,  slowly  the  water  runs  down  into 
the  basin  in  which  your  boat  is  floating. 

16.  As  the  water  fills  the  basin,  the  boat  rises 
higher   and    higher,   until    it    is    on    a   level  with 
the  water  beyond  the  upper  gate.     Then  this  gate 
is  swung  open ;  the  boy  on  shore  who  is  driving 
your  tow-mules  hits  one  of  them  with  his  stick. 
They  walk  forward,  and  your  boat  is  pulled  along 
by  the  tow-ropes  into  the  water  above  the  lock. 

17.  Be    careful   when  you   go    under  a  bridge. 
Don't  climb  up  on  any  piled-up  merchandise,  or 
you  may  get  your  hat  knocked  off.     The  pretty 
white  bridges  over  the  Erie  Canal  are  a  pleasant 
part  of  the  landscape  in  New  York. 

18.  Boys  and  girls  travelling  by  the  Erie  Rail- 
road on  a  fast  train  sometimes  amuse  themselves 
by  counting  the  bridges.     They  do  not  find  them 
so  numerous  as  the  telegraph  poles. 

19.  There  are  many  fine  farms  in  the  country 
through  which  the  Erie  Canal  is  made.     The  land 
is  rich  and  fertile  all  the  way  to  Buffalo.     Fruits 


68  THE  WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

and  grain,  vegetables,  cheese,  and  butter  are  sent 
from  these  farms  in  great  abundance  to  the  towns 
and  cities. 

20.  When  you  think  of   all  the  people  in  the 
city   of    New  York,   you    can    imagine   that   they 
must  need  a  great  deal  of  butter  for  their  bread. 
Much  of  it  is  made  on  the  dairy  farms  of  West- 
ern New  York. 

21.  After  you  have  had  your  short  ride  on  the 
canal-boat,  you  can  take  a  train  at  Albany,  and 
enjoy  a  journey  through  the  fine  scenery  of  the 
Catskill  Mountains.     These  mountains  are  not  so 
wild  and  rugged  as  the  Adirondacks.     There   are 
many  pleasant  homes    and  pretty  villages  to  be 
seen   from  your   car-window. 

22.  By  and   by  your   train   crosses   a   railroad 
bridge  over  the  Susquehanna  River.     Then  for  a 
long  time  the  railroad  follows  the  river  valley  in 
the  mountains  of   Pennsylvania.     Sometimes  the 
train  is  on   one  side  of  the  river,  sometimes  on 
the  other ;  it  goes  wherever  it  has  been  the  easiest 
to  make  the  railroad-bed.     You  cross  and  recross 
the  river  several  times. 

23.  At  Wilkesbarre  ytfu  are  in  the  great  coal 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY 


69 


and  iron  mining  region  of  Eastern  Pennsylvania. 
Scran  ton,  another  place  famous  for  coal  and  iron, 
is  not  far  away.  You  must  stop  here,  and  go 
about  among  the  mountains  to  see  the  coal-min- 
ing. Some  of  the  coal  is  in  thick  layers  near  the 
top  of  the  ground,  or  on  the  side  of  a  mountain. 
You  see  men 
chopping  it  off, 
as  if  they  were 
picking  bits 
off  the  side  of 
a  huge  fruit 
cake. 

24.  In  other 
places,  the  coal 
is    deep    down 
in  the  ground. 
You  go  down 
into      one      of 

these  mines  through  a  shaft  sunk  like  a  well 
into  the  ground.  There  is  a  platform  like  a  big 
bucket  in  the  shaft,  and  on  this  you  may  go 
down,  down  into  the  mine. 

25.  It  is  an  odd  feeling  that  comes  over  you  as 


IN   A   COAL    MINE. 


70  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

you  find  yourself  sinking  down  away  from  the 
daylight ;  and  you  are  very  likely  to  take  fast 
hold  of  the  person  next  to  you,  as  if  to  keep  your- 
self from  falling.  When  you  get  well  into  the 
mine,  you  see  the  little  rooms  and  galleries  dug 
out  into  the  coal  veins  on  every  side  of  the  main 
shaft. 

26.  The  men  are  working  by  the  light  of  safety 
lanterns,  hung  against  the  walls  and  ceilings.     Per- 
haps one  of  the  men  will  let  you  take  his  pick,  and 
break  off  a  bit  of  the  hard  coal  to  take  home  with 
you  from  the  mine. 

27.  The  west  branch  of  the  Susquehanna  joins 
the  main  river  some  distance  further  down.     It 
is,  indeed,  a  noble  and  beautiful  river  that  your 
train  follows  .on  its  way  to  Harrisburg,  the  capi- 
tal   of    Pennsylvania.       Here    also    many  of   the 
people    are   busy  in    the    manufacturing    of   iron 
and   in  the  shipping  of  coal. 

28.  All  through  this  region  of   the  Alleghany 
Mountains  there  are  wonderful  veins  of  fine  hard 
coal  and  good  iron  ore.     This    iron    ore    is  very 
black,   and  looks    like    dark,  rough    stone.      But 
when  it  is  melted  in  the  furnaces,  it  is  changed 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  71 

into  iron,  from  which  all  sorts  of  useful  things 
may  be  made,  from  the  hull  of  an  ocean  steamer 
to  a  tiny  carpet  tack. 

29.  From  Harrisburg,  westward  through  Penn- 
sylvania, your  train  goes  through  a  mountainous 
country,  following  for  a  long  distance  the  river 
valley  of  the  "blue  Juniata."     This  stream  winds 
about  even  more  than  the  Susquehanna,  and  you 
cross  it  on  bridges  many  times. 

30.  The  men  who   made   the   railroad    built  it 
along  the  river  valley,  for  it  was  much  easier  to 
do  so  than  to  build  it  over  the  high  mountains; 
but   they  found    it    necessary   to    make    a    great 
number  of  bridges  over  the  Juniata  for  the  rail- 
road. 

31.  You   cross   many  ranges  of  the  Alleghany 
Mountains  on  the  way  from  Harrisburg  to  Pitts- 
burg.      They    are    all    part    of    the    Appalachian 
mountain    system.     We  call    a   great   number  of 
mountain     ranges    taken     together     a    mountain 
system.     Some  of  the  ranges  of  the  Alleghanies 
have   very   pretty   names.      We   cross   the    Blue 
Ridge   and   Laurel   Ridge    on    our  way   to    Pitts- 
burg. 


72  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

32.  This    city   has   many    mills    and    furnaces. 
The   great,   heavy,    noisy    machinery   is   at   work 
night  and  day,  and  the  smoke  is  always  pouring 
out  of  the  high  chimneys.     At  night  we  can  see 
flames    coming    out    of    the    chimneys    too,    and 
breaking  into  sparks  that  fly  about  in  the  dark 
air  like  small,  glittering  stars. 

33.  The   city  of  Pittsburg  is  built  at  a  place 
where  two   rivers   flowing  down  from  the  moun- 
tains join  to  form,  the  Ohio  River.     The  mountains 
that  we  have  crossed  make  an  extensive  water- 
shed, as  you  can    easily  see   by   looking   on   the 
map.      The    Ohio    River    cannot    possibly    flow 
towards   the  Atlantic    Ocean,  or  into  one  of  the 
bays  of  the  Atlantic,  like  the  other  great  rivers 
that  we  have  .seen.    The  coal  and  iron  that  are  put 
on  the  Ohio  River  steamers  go  westward  through  a 
country  quite  different  from  any  we  have  yet  seen. 
In  this  part  of  Pennsylvania  there  are  many  fine 
farms. 

34.  North    of   Pittsburg  is  the  famous  oil  re- 
gion.    Many  years  ago  the  Indians  used  to  collect 
small  quantities  of  oil  on  the   shores  of  streams 
and  sell  it  for  a  medicine.     People  had  burned  an 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  73 

oil  very  much  like  it  in  their  lamps,  which  was 
made  from  coal,  and  called  coal-oil. 

35.  Two  men  from  New  Haven  came  to  this 
country  and  began  drilling  oil-wells,  thinking  this 
natural  oil,  or  petroleum,  would  be  good  to  burn. 
It  was  found  that  the  earth  was  full  of  oil-springs; 
and  wells  were  drilled,  and  pumps  put  in  at  once. 
Great  quantities  of  oil  have  been  pumped  up 
from  these  oil-wells  since. 


CHAPTER    X. 

THREE   CITIES. 

1.  Philadelphia  is  the  largest  city  in  Pennsyl- 
vania.    To   reach   it   from   Pittsburg,  you  would 
be    obliged    to   travel    back    over    the  Alleghany 
Mountains,  and  through  the  capital  city,  Harris- 
burg.     Philadelphia  is  in  the  southeastern  part  of 
the  state. 

• 

2.  Across  the  Delaware  River,  on  whose   bank 
it  stands,  is  the  state  of  New  Jersey,  a  country 
of   fruits,  flowers,  and  vegetables.     Only  a  little 
way  to  the  south,  the  Delaware  River  empties  into 


74 


THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


Delaware  Bay.  You  remember 
of  that  bay,  and  Cape  May  and 
your  journey  up  the  Atlantic 
you  see,  back  now 
flow  east  towards  the 
like  the  Ohio  River 
3.  In  the  year  1876 
thousands  of  people 
phia.  Our  country 


passing  the  mouth 
Cape  Henlopen,  on 
coast.  You  are, 
where  the  rivers 
Atlantic,  not  west, 
at  Pittsburg. 
thousands  and 
visited  Philadel- 
liad  then  been  free 


INDEPENDENCE   HALL. 


and  independent  just  one  hundred  years,  and  there 
was  a  great  fair  called  The  Centennial  Exposition, 
held  in  Fairmount  Park  at  Philadelphia,  to  cele- 
brate the  hundredth  anniversary  of  our  freedom. 


OUR  OWN   COUNTRY.  75 

Americans  love  freedom,  and  this  is  the  reason 
why  the  great  Exposition  in  1876  was  held  at 
Philadelphia. 

4.  Very  many  of   the  visitors  to  Philadelphia 
that  year  went  to  the  old  State  House,  or  Inde- 
pendence Hall,  to  see  the  bell,  which  is  one  of  the 
first  things  you  will  wish  to  see — the  bell  which 
was  rung  when  the  De  )laration  of  Independence 
was  signed. 

5.  If  you  were  in  Philadelphia  on  the  Fourth 
of   July,  it  would  be  pleasant  to  visit  Indepen- 
dence  Hall,  and   see  this  old   bell   which   began 
the  noise  of  our  national  celebration   that   boys 
and  girls,  and  older  people  too,  have  been  keeping 
up  every  Fourth  of  July  for  more  than  a  hundred 
years.      Do  you  think  the  time  will  ever  come 
when  there  will  be  no  celebration  of  our  national 
freedom  on  the  Fourth  of  July  ? 

6.  After  seeing  the  bell,  you  would  like  to  take 
a   walk   through   the    streets  of   the  city.     Near 
Independence  Hall,   in   State  House  Row,  are   a 
number  of  other  very  old  buildings  ;  none  of  these 
are  used  for  offices.     In  front  of  them  is  a  broad 
pavement    shaded   with   trees.      Whichever   way 


76 


THE   WORLD    AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


you  walk  you  are  sure  to  come  to  a  pretty,  shady 
square,  like  a  small  park.     Franklin  Square  has  a 

large  fountain  in  it. 

7.  Although  Philadel- 
phia is  a  large  city,  one  of 
the  largest  in  our  country, 
it  is  not  so  noisy,  and  the 
people  do  not  seem  in  so 
much  of  a  hurry  as  in  New 
York.  It  is  a  city  of  homes. 
Many  of  them  are  built  of 


LAUNCHING   A   SHIP. 


brick ;  and  in  this  pleasant  city  of  Philadelphia 
there  are  very  few  great  tenement  houses  where 
people  are  crowded  together  too  close  for  comfort. 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  77 

8.  Go  down  to  the  wharves,  and  you  will  see  a 
great  many  vessels,  loading  with  coal  which  has 
been  brought  down  from  the  mountains.     There  is 
a  great  ship-yard  at  Kensington,  near  Philadelphia. 
Here  and  at  other  places  near  by  great  ships  and 
steamers  are  built  and  launched.     It  is  interesting 
and  exciting  to  see  a  new  steamer,  or  a  ship,  let 
down  into  the  water  for  the  first  tune. 

9.  From  Philadelphia  to  Baltimore,  in  Maryland, 
is  a  pleasant  ride  by  train  along  the  upper  shores 
of  Chesapeake   Bay.     Your  boat  journey  in  this 
great  bay  has  made  you  remember  its  name.     But 
Baltimore  is  a  long  way  north  of  the  mouth  of  the 
Potomac  River,  where  your  boat  entered  the  bay. 
And  as  you  went  southward,  you  did  not  come 
near  the  oyster-beds  of  this  part  of  the  Chesapeake. 
Oysters,  as  you  know,  are  found  in  the  water  in- 
stead of  on  land.     They  are  usually  found  in  shal- 
low water,  on  the  sandy  bottoms,  or  clinging  to 
rocks  under  the  water. 

10.  Oysters  are  taken  out  by  millions  from  the 
Chesapeake  Bay.     Great  quantities  of   them  are 
put  into  tin  cans  in  Baltimore,  sealed  up,  and  sent 
to  places  where  fresh  oysters  cannot  be  sent.     But 


78  THE  WORLD  AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

they  can  be  sent  fresh  to  many  places  a  long  way 
inland. 

11.  Peaches  and  strawberries  grow  plentifully 
in  the  country  about  Baltimore.     Many  people  in 
the  city  are  employed  in  canning  these  fruits,  so 
you  see  that  oysters  are  not  the  only  things  canned 
in  Baltimore. 

12.  Outside  the  city  are  the  Bare  Hills,  where 
iron  ore  is  found.     You  can  see  these  from  Federal 
Hill,  a  pleasant  outlook  above  the  harbor.     From 
your  outlook  here  you  can  see  the  ships  and  the 
city,  the  great  cross-shaped  church,  —  the  Cathe- 
dral,—  and  a  fine  column  of  white  marble,  a  mon- 
ument to  General  Washington.     A  great  many  of 
the  buildings  in  the  city  are  made  of  Baltimore 
marble,  found  in  quarries  not  far  away. 

13.  A  beautiful  yellow  bird,  the  oriole,  which 
you  may  have  seen,  is  sometimes  called  the  Bal- 
timore oriole.      You   are   likely   to    see    some    of 
them    in    the    groves    of    Maryland.       They   are 
graceful,  lively  little  creatures,  yellow  as  sunshine, 
and  gifted  with  a  sweet  song  of   several    notes, 
like   a   musical    call.      They   build   odd,   bag-liko 
nests,  which  hang  to  the  branches  of   trees ;   so 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  79 

they  are  sometimes  called  hang-birds.  They  spend 
the  winter  in  Mexico  or  some  other  far  southern 
country,  and  come  northward  in  the  summer-time. 

14.  Annapolis,  the  capital  of  Maryland,  is  farther 
down  the  shores  of  the  bay.     There  is  a  fine  naval 
academy  in  Annapolis,  where  young  men  go  to  be 
trained  for  service  on  our  ships  of  war. 

15.  You  will    be    surprised   by  looking  at  the 
map  to  see  how  nearly  you  have  wandered  back 
to  Washington,  the  capital  of  our  country,  in  the 
District  of  Columbia,  which  is  next  to   the  state 
of  Maryland.     The  climate  is  warm  in  this  state, 
and  tobacco  is  grown  on  many  of  the  plantations. 

16.  Whittier  describes  the  beauty  of  the  fruit- 
ful Maryland  country  in  the  poem  of   "  Barbara 
Frietchie."     On  the  map  you  will  find  the  town 
of  Frederick  some  distance  west  of  Baltimore. 

"  Up  from  the  meadows  rich  with  corn, 
Clear  in  the  cool  September  morn, 
The  clustered  spires  of  Frederick  stand, 
Green-walled  by  the  hills  of  Maryland  j 
Eound  about  them  orchards  sweep, 
Apple  and  peach  tree,  fruited  deep, 
Fair  as  a  garden  of  the  Lord." 


80  THE   WORLD    AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

CHAPTER    XI. 
LAKE   ONTARIO   AND   NIAGARA. 

1.  If  you  should  travel  directly  westward  from 
the  most  northern  waters  of  Lake  Champlain,  you 
would  go,  for  about  eighty  miles,  on  the  northern 
boundary  line   between  our  country  and  Canada. 
The  state  of   New  York  is  south,  and  Canada  is 
north,  of  this  boundary  line. 

2.  Nature   has  separated  us  from  the  country 
north  of  ours  in  many  places  by  rivers  and  lakes, 
but  here  the  governments  long  ago  decided  upon 
a  line.     It   is   a   dotted   line   on   the   map.     It  is 
nothing  at  all  when  you  come  to  travel  along  it. 
There  is  no  high  fence  to  divide  Northern   Nev? 
York  from  Canada,  but  the  division  is  well  known 
to  the  people  there. 

3.  Perhaps  there  is  no  fence  between  your  yard 
and  that  of  your  next-door  neighbor.     It  may  be 
that  each   of  you  have  a  lawn,  but  both  of  you 
know  how  far  your  land  goes.     You  can  easily 
stand  upon  the  line  which  has  been  decided  upon, 
and  say,  "Our  land  comes  thus  far." 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY  81 

4.  So  with   our   country.     How  far  north   our 
land  here  reaches  is  shown  by  the  line  dotted  on 
the  map  as  the  northern  boundary  of  New  York. 
For  about  one  hundred  miles  on  the  northeastern 
boundary  flows  one  of  the  broadest  rivers  in  the 
world,  the  St.  Lawrence.    There  are  many  hundred 
miles  of  this  great  river  in  Canada,  but  we  will 
not  study  any  part  of   it  except  the  part  which 
touches  our  own  country. 

5.  If  we  take  a  steamer  at  Ogdensburg,  and  go 
up  the  river  to  Lake  Ontario,  we  shall  pass  a  great 
number  of  islands.     Remember  that  we  are  going 
up  the  river,  although  it  is  down  the  map.     As 
the  steamer  winds  its  way  among  the  picturesque 
Thousand  Islands,  you  see  on  many  of  the  islands 
pretty  houses   where   people   have   their  summer 
homes.      On   some  of  the  larger  ones  are   large 
hotels.     Some  of  the  islands  are  so  tiny  that  there 
is  only  room  for  the  tent  of  some  lonely  fisherman. 
Others  have  lawns  and  gardens,  and  everywhere 
are  boat-houses ;    and  wherever  there  is  a  bit  of 
beach,  bath-houses,  too. 

6.  The  St.   Lawrence  is    so  wide    here  that    it 
seems   more    like   a   lake    than    a    river;   but    if 


82  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

you  throw  a  leaf  or  a  stick  overboard,  you  will 
see  that  it  floats  slowly  away  on  the  current, 
and  towards  the  northeast. 

7.  After  a  time  your  steamer  comes  out  upon 
Lake  Ontario,  the  most    eastern    and    the  small- 
est of  the  five  Great  Lakes  north  of  the  United 
States.      Your    steamer    is   soon    out  of    sight  of 
land.     You  are  out    in    the  middle  of    the  great 
lake.     You  might    think    that   you  were  on    the 
sea,  but   the    little  waves    made    by  the  steamer 
as    it   passes    swiftly  along  break  apart  at  once, 
and  do    not    look    so    frothy    and    so  much  like 
soap-suds    as  salt  water  does.     The  water  in  the 
Great  Lakes  is  fresh  and  clear.     Lake  Ontario  is 
very  deep  indeed,  and  on  a  fine  day  the  water  is 
as  blue  as  the  sky. 

8.  At  the  town  of  Oswego,  in  New  York,  our 
steamer    stops    for    a    short    time.      Here    is    the 
mouth  of    the  Oswego  River,  which  flows  north- 
ward down    to    Lake    Ontario    from    a    chain    of 
small    lakes    in    the   interior  of    the  state.     The 
Oswego  River  is  the  outlet  of  a  number  of  these 
small  lakes. 

9.  Our  next  stop  is  at  Rochester,  another  city 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  83 

in   the    state    of   New   York ;    here    the    Genesee 
River  flows  into  Lake  Ontario. 

10.  Then    we     go    on    towards     the     Niagara 
River;    but  when  we  come  near  the  place  where 
this    deep    and    narrow    river   comes    into    Lake 
Ontario,  our  steamer  turns  one  side. 

11.  Why  is  it?    Why  does  not  the  steamer  go 
up  the  Niagara  River  on  the  way  to  Lake  Erie  ? 
Because  it  is  quite  impossible  for  a  steamer  to  go 
up  this    rushing.,  rapid    river,  with  its    whirlpool 
and   its    mighty  falls;   but   there  is    a  canal   be- 
tween   Lake  Ontario  and    Lake  Erie.     The  Wei- 
land    Canal,    which    is    made,    in    part,    of    the 
Welland  River,  is  broad  enough  and  deep  enough 
for  these  lake  steamers  to  pass  through. 

12.  When  we  come   to    the    falls,    we    find    a 
small    steamer    which   goes   about    in   the  broad 
basin  below  the    falls,  and    sails   indeed   in    the 
mist  and  the  spray,  close  to  the  great  tumbling 
mass    of    water.      This   small   steamer   is   called 
the  Maid  of  the  Mist. 

13.  Your  first  view  of  Niagara,  as  you  come 
from   the  town,  is   a  confused   sight  of   a   great 
wide  roaring  river,  falling  down   banks   as   high 


84  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

as  hills  in  half  a  dozen  big  waterfalls.  But  if 
you  get  into  a  cable-car  which  climbs  up  and 
down  the  steep  bank  beside  the  American  fall, 
and  ride  down,  and  set  out  upon  the  slippery, 
mossy  rocks  at  the  side  of  the  river  below  this 
great  fall,  you  will  begin  to  get  over  your 
confusion,  and  to  enjoy  the  wonderful  waterfall. 

14.  You  may  wish  to  shut  your  eyes  riding 
down  that  steep  bank  in  the  cable-car,  and  you 
must  be  careful,  after  you  get  out  of  it,  not  to 
slip  upon  the  stones  wet  with  spray  from  the  fall. 
You  look  up  and  see  the  white  water  coming 
down  close  beside  you.  It  is  blue  a  little  way 
down  stream,  and  deepens  into  green  still  farther 
down,  between  the  rocky  walls ;  but  the  water  of 
the  fall  is  sparkling  and  white  as  it  pours  down 
from  the  height  above. 

"15.  The  Maid  of  the  Mist  comes  up  to  a  plat- 
form not  far  away.  You  go  on  board.  Oil-cloth 
cloaks  and  hoods  are  given  you  to  protect  your 
clothes  and  hat,  and  the  little  steamer  puffs  away 
up  the  stream  towards  the  Canadian  falls  across 
the  river.  The  spray  blows  into  your  faces,  and 
you  hold  fast  to  one  another,  standing  on  the 


OUR    OWN    COUNTRY.  50 

deck,  as  you  go  past  rocks  in  the  stream,  over 
which  the  water  is  breaking  into  foam.  Near  a 
big  rock  well  up  to  the  foot  of  the  falls,  across  the 
river,  the  Maid  of  .the  Mist  turns  around  for  her 
return  journey. 

16.  You  can  see  people  who  have  been  through 
the  Cave  of  the  Winds,  which  is  under  one  of  the 
smaller   falls,   standing  on  the   slippery   platform 
built  out  on  the  rocks  in  front  of  it.     They,  too, 
are  dressed  in  oil-cloth  suits;   and  there  are  rain- 
bows   dancing   all   around   them,   as   they  follow 
their  guide  carefully  back  through    the    spray  to 
the    shore    again.      The    great    horseshoe-shaped 
Canadian  fall  is  now  behind  you. 

17.  Your  steamer  stops  for  a   moment  on  the 
Canadian  side,  then  takes  you  back   to  the  plat- 
form where  you  stepped  aboard.     You  ride  up  the 
high,  steep  bank  in  the  cable-car  again,  and  walk 
by  pleasant  paths  up   to    the  bridges  which  lead 
out  to  the  islands  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  just 
at  the  edge  of  the  falls. 

18.  The  river  is  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
wide  above  these  islands,  just  before  it  divides  to 
form   the  falls.     The  water  under  the  bridges  is 


86 


THE   WORLD    AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  87 

extremely  swift.  As  you  pass  over,  you  toss  a 
stick  into  the  current,  and  it  is  whirled  away  and 
over  the  falls,  almost  before  you  can  catch  your 
breath. 

19.  On  one  of  the  islands  you  can  sit  on  the 
shore  and  reach   your  hand   into  the  water   just 
where  it  begins    its   plunge   over  the   great  fall, 
while  you  look  into  the  seething  pool  far  below 
you.      Between  the    furthest   of   the    islands    the 
water  seems  to  be  boiling,  so  wildly  is  it  foaming 
and  hurrying  towards  the  fall. 

20.  There  is  a  story  of  a  lady  who  came  out  on 
these    islands    with    her  husband,   and    becoming 
dizzy,  said  she  never   should    dare   go  back  over 
the  bridges.     He  asked  her  jokingly  if  he  should 
take  her  back  to  the  shore    in  a  boat,   and   she 
replied,  "Please  do!" 

21.  She  thought   he  was  in   earnest  when  she 
said  it ;  but  you  can  imagine  in  how  short  a  time 
a  boat  would   be   borne    over  the  fall    from   the 
rapids  about  the  islands,  and  how  quickly  the  lady 
would  have   changed  her  mind  if    she  had  seen 
a  boat  tied  to  a  tree  on  the  island  shore.    She  soon 
got    over  her    dizziness    and    fright    and   walked 
ashore  without  a  word. 


88  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

CHAPTER    XII. 
FROM   BUFFALO   TO   CHICAGO. 

1.  A   little   way   above    Niagara    Falls,    where 
Niagara  River  flows  from  Lake  Erie,  is  the  city  of 
Buffalo.     Here   is   the   western  end   of    the  Erie 
Canal,  which  crosses  the  State  of  New  York  from 
Albany  to  Buffalo.     Here  the  steamers  from  the 
great  western  lakes  bring  grain  and  lumber  from 
the    country  on   their   shores,  and   here  are   tall 
buildings    called    grain-elevators,  in   which   great 
quantities  of  corn,  wheat,  and  oats  are  stored. 

2.  The  streets  of  Buffalo  are  broad  and  hand- 
some, and  in  many  of  them  shade-trees  are  grow- 
ing.    There   are   several   parks    and   fine    drives, 
so   that   it  is   not   only  a  town   important  for  its 
commerce,  but  also  a  pleasant  one  for  residence. 

3.  Trade    in   large    amount,   like    the   trade    in 
grain    between    Buffalo  and   the   West,   is  called 
commerce.     New  York  City  has  commercial  deal- 
ings with  foreign  countries ;  but  the  commerce  of 
a  lake  port,  like  Buffalo,  is  more  with  our  own 
country.     Commerce  or   trade  with  foreign  coun-' 


CUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  89 

tries  is  called  foreign   commerce,  and  the   home 
trade  is  domestic  commerce. 

4.  If  you  go  down  to  the  wharves  in  Buffalo, 
you  will  see  people  busied  in  many  ways  about 
the  imports  and  exports,  as  we  call  the  various 
things  received  and  sent  out  from  a  country  in  its 
trade  with  other  countries.     For   example,  Java 
coffee  from  the  island  of  Java,  and  bananas  from 
Costa  Rica,  are  imports  in  New  York,  just  as  grain 
and  lumber  are  imports  in  Buffalo.     Things  sent 
out  are  exports. 

5.  Steamers   for    the   West  leave  Buffalo   very 
often.     Let  us  take  one  bound  for   Chicago,  and 
make  an  imaginary  journey  around  the  lakes. 

6.  For  some  distance  after  leaving  Buffalo  we 
can  see  the   shores  of  New  York ;  then  we    are 
a  long   way  from  that   state.     We    stop  at  Erie 
in    Northern    Pennsylvania,    and    find   that    this 
state  has  nearly  fifty  miles  of  lake-coast,  although 
it  has  no  sea-coast.     Erie  has  a  very  fine  harbor, 
and  Presque  Isle,  lying  in  front  of  the  harbor,  is 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  islands. 

7.  A  man  comes  on  board  at  Erie,  who  is  from 
the  Pennsylvania  oil-regions,  not  far  to  the  south. 


90  THE  WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

He  says  he  is  going  out  to  Chicago  on  business. 
He  tells  you  that  he  always  goes  by  the  lakes 
during  the  summer  season  to  enjoy  the  fine  air. 
"  But,"  he  adds,  "  if  I  have  to  go  out  to  Chicago 
during  the  winter,  I  go  on  the  cars." 

8.  A  boy,  standing  near  him,  says,  "  I  suppose 
it  is  too  cold  in  the  winter  on  the  steamer." 

9.  "Yes,  too  cold  for  me,  and  too  cold  for  the 
steamer,"    answers   the   traveller.     "  Fresh  water 
freezes  more  readily  than  salt  water,  and  there  are 
several  months  of  the  year  when  the  Great  Lakes 
are  partly  frozen  over.     Steamers  cannot  go  back 
and  forth  on  Lake  Erie  all  winter,  as  they  can  on 
the   Atlantic    Ocean.      Navigation   closes   on    the 
Great  Lakes  during  the  coldest  months. 

10.  "  Sometimes,  during  a  mild  winter,  there  is 
very  little  ice  in  the  lakes.     But  I  have  seen  the 
time  when  you  could  drive  across  Lake  Erie  on 
the  ice  with  horses  and  sleighs." 

11.  "I  have  heard  that  it  is  a  very  dangerous 
lake.     Why  is  that  ? "   says  the  boy. 

12.  "  Because  it  is  so  shallow.     It  is  not  much 
more  than  one  hundred  feet  deep ;  and  the  winds 
ruffle  it  up,  and  drive  the  waters  up  on  the  shore. 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  91 

That's  the  reason  why  such  large  breakwaters  have 
been  built  out  into  the  lake  at  the  towns  on  the 
shore,  to  keep  the  water  from  blowing  up  into  the 
lower  streets  during  a  heavy  storm." 

13.  Lake  Erie  is  about  two  hundred  and  forty 
miles  long.     We  ride  all  night  after  leaving  the 
Pennsylvania    coast,    off   the    coast  of    Ohio.     In 
the  morning  we  stop  at  Cleveland,  a  large  city, 
which  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  all  the  cities 
in  our  country.      It  certainly  looks  very  lovely 
from  the  deck  of  our  lake  steamer.     We  can  see 
the  white  houses,  shining  among  the  green  trees, 
on    the    high  plain  overlooking   the  water;    and 
through  the  city  the  river  comes  winding  down  to 
the  lake. 

14.  Sand  us ky  is  another  pleasant  city  on  the 
Ohio    coast,    some    distance    west    of    Cleveland. 
There  are  a  number  of  islands  out  a  little  way  in 
the  lake.     On  one  of  these  we  see  a  picnic  fishing- 
party.     They  wave   their  hats  and  handkerchiefs 
to  us  as  we  sail  by. 

15.  Toledo  is  another  Ohio   city  of   which  we 
have  a  glimpse  as  we  sail  along.     It  is  five  miles 
from  the  shore  of  the  lake,  on  Maumee  Bay,  a 


92  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

widening  of  the  Maumee  River,  which  here  flows 
into  Lake  Erie. 

16.  Soon  after  losing  sight  of  Toledo.,  the  lake 
grows   narrower  and  narrower,  and   presently  we 
can  see  the  other  shore.     Then  we  come  into  a 
deep  blue  river,  the  Detroit  River.     The  current 
is  swift ;  but  our  steamer  makes  good  headway, 
and  soon  we  have  reached  the  wharves  of  Detroit. 

17.  This  is   the   largest   city   in    the    State    of 
Michigan.     Lansing  is   the  capital,   but  it  is   an 
inland  city ;    and  we  cannot  visit  it  at  present. 
Another   important    place    near    Detroit    is   Ann 
Arbor.     The   University  of   Michigan  is  at  Ann 
Arbor.     It  is  one   of  the  best  universities  in  the 
United  States,  and  has  more  students,  both  men 
and  women,  than  any  other. 

18.  At  Detroit  we   see  a  whole  train  of  cars, 
crossing  the  river  on  a  big  ferry-boat.     It  is  an 
interesting  sight.      There  are  railroad  tracks  on 
the  flat  top  of  the  huge  ferry-boat.     The  cars  are 
pushed  upon  these  by  an  engine  while  the  ferry- 
boat is  close  to  the  shore.     Then  the  engine  in  the 
boat  goes  to  work,  and  the  train  is  ferried  across 
the  river. 


.      OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  93 

19.  Detroit  is  an  important  commercial  city,  and 
a  great  deal  of  lumber  is  sold  here,  that  comes  from 
the  forests  of  Northern  Michigan.    There  are  many 
iron  manufactories  here,  too ;  and  if  you  go  through 
Detroit  in  the  night,  the  big,  bright  chimneys  re- 
mind you  of  the  chimneys  of  Pittsburg. 

20.  Above  Detroit,  as  shown  on  the  map,  and 
above  it  by  the  direction  of  the  river  current,  too, 
is  Lake   St.    Glair.      This  is  not  one  of   the  five 
Great  Lakes,  and   it   looks  quite    small  between 
Lake   Erie    and    the    great   Lake    Huron   further 
north.      But  Lake  St.  Glair  is  thirty  miles  wide. 
You  see  it  is  not  very  tiny,  although  it  has  been 
called  "  The  Baby  of   the  Lakes,"  it  is  so  much 
smaller  than  the  rest. 

21.  A  swift  and  broad  river,  the  St.  Glair  River, 
connects  this   lake  with  Lake    Huron.     Up   this 
river  our  steamer  goes  for  nearly  forty  miles.     We 
pass  the  town  of  Port  Huron,  and  are  out  on  blue 
Lake  Huron.     Now  for  more  than  two  days  and 
nights  we  sail  away  northward  to  the  Straits  of 
Mackinaw ;   and  we  are  out  of  sight  of  the  land 
night  and  day.     We  could  easily  believe  that  we 
were  out  on  the  great  ocean  itself. 


94  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLt. 

22.  To  the  west  of  us,  all  the  way,  is  the  coast 
of  Michigan,  with  its  bays  and  its  towns,  and  as 
we  near  the  straits,  the  great  dark  forests  appear. 
There  are  many  islands  in  the  Straits  of  Mackinaw  ; 
but  our  pilot  is  a  good  one,  and  steers  us  safely 
past  them  all.     After  we  pass  the  Beaver  Islands, 
we  turn  directly  to  the  south  into  Lake  Michigan. 
And  now  we  are   sailing  southward  for  days  still 
out  of  sight  of  land  in  this  inland  sea. 

23.  Green    Bay,    extending    into    the    state    of 
Wisconsin  to  the  west  of  us,  is  named  from  the 
deep  green  of  the  water  in  the  bay.     Its  shores 
are    favorite    resorts    for  summer  camping-parties 
from  Wisconsin   towns    and    from    places   further 
south. 

24.  On  our  way  down  the  Wisconsin  coast  we 
stop  at  a  large  city,  Milwaukee.     It  is  sometimes 
called   the  "Cream   City,"  because    pretty  cream- 
colored    bricks  are   much   used   in  the   buildings. 
From  the    steamer  we  can  see  that  it  is  a  very 
clean  and  handsome  city. 

25.  Racine   is  another   Wisconsin   city  on    the 
coast  south  of  Milwaukee.     Then,  if  we  go  down 
the  Illinois  coast,  all  the  way  to  Chicago,  we  are 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY. 


95 


"L. 


THE  WATER-WORKS   TOWER. 


in  bight  of  pretty  suburban  towns  in  groves  along 
the  shore.  Sometimes  high  bluffs  rise  up  from 
the  water.  We  see  the  light  from  the  light-house 


96  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS  PEOPLE. 

at  Evanston,  as  we  sail  by.  This  is  the  place 
where  a  large  steamer,  the  Lady  Elgin,  was  lost 
many  years  ago. 

26.  Now  we  come  to  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago 
River,  and  see  the  masts  of  many  vessels,  the 
high  grain-elevators,  and  the  spires  of  churches. 
Out  in  the  lake  is  a  stone  tower,  which  is  at  the 
end  of  a  long  tunnel  under  the  bed  of  the  lake. 
Through  this  tunnel  water  for  the  city's  supply  is 
pumped  to  the  tower  of  the  water-works,  that  we 
can  see  on  the  land. 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

OHIO  AND  INDIANA. 

1.  We    could    have   made    the    journey    from 
Buffalo  to  Chicago  by  train  in  a  day,  instead  of 
taking   nearly   a   week   as   on   the   boat   journey 
around  the  lakes.     If  we  had  gone  by  train,  we 
should  have  travelled  quite  across  two  rich  farm- 
ing states,  Ohio  and  Indiana. 

2.  Ohio  was  once  nearly  covered  by  groves  of 
trees  ;  though  there  is  prairie-land  near  the  lake 
in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  state.     But  many 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  97 

millions  of  these  trees  have  been  cut  down  and 
burned ;  and  where  the  forests  once  stood  are 
now  fine  farms. 

3.  Many   sheep   are   raised  in  Ohio,  and   it   is 
pleasant   to    see   the    white    animals,   sheep   and 
lambs,  running   about   over  the  hills.     Ohio  is  a 
hilly  state,  and  thousands  of  grape-vines  grow  on 
the  hills ;  but  there  are  no  mountains  in  the  state. 

4.  One  of  the  most  interesting  things  in  Ohio 
is  the  Great  Divide,  a  high  ridge  of  land  over  two 
hundred  miles  long.     This  divides  the  country  so 
that  the  rivers  on  the  north  of  it  flow  towards 
Lake  Erie,  and  those  on  the  south  towards  the 
Ohio  River. 

5.  This   great   river,  you   remember,  starts  at 
Pittsburgh  where  two  smaller  rivers  join  to  form 
it.     It  is  the  southern  boundary  of  Ohio,  Indiana, 
and  Illinois,  and  flows  into  the  Mississippi  River. 

6.  Cincinnati,  the  largest  city  in  Ohio,  is  in  the 
southern  part   of  the  state  on   the  banks  of  the 
Ohio  River.    The  city  is  built  on  two  high  terraces 
above  the  river.     A  gray  stone,  not  so  pretty  as 
the   cream-colored   brick  of  Milwaukee,  but  of  a 
very  good  color,  is  chiefly  used  for  building. 


98  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

7.  There  'are  many  handsome  public  buildings. 
The   opera-houses   of   Cincinnati   are   noted ;    the 
people  are  extremely  fond  of  music.     A  fine  foun- 
tain with  sculptured  figures,  and  surrounded  by 
trees,  is  one  of  the  chief  ornaments  of  Cincinnati. 

8.  Back    of   the   terraces   on   which   the   main 
streets  of  the  city  are  built,  are  many  hills  which 
are  terraced  with  streets.     These  hills  are  covered 
with   houses  quite  to  their  summits.     From   the 
piazzas  may  be   seen  steamers  and  other  vessels 
far   up  and   down   the    broad    Ohio,  loaded  with 
wool,  pork,  and  many  other  products  of  the  west. 

9.  Across  the  river  is  Covington,  some  of  whose 
streets  are  a  continuation  of  those  in  Cincinnati. 
Covington  is  in  the  State  of  Kentucky,  although  it 
is  only  across  the  river.     A  fine  suspension  bridge 
connects  this  smaller  city  with  Cincinnati.     Many 
persons  whose  business  is  in  Cincinnati  have  their 
homes  in  Covington. 

10.  The  Miami  Canal,  which  crosses  Ohio  from 
north  to  south,  enters  a  basin  at  Cincinnati.     It 
is  cut  through  the  Great  Divide,  and  the  northern 
end    of   the   canal   is   at   Toledo,   which,  as   you 
remember,  is  near  Lake  Erie. 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  99 

11.  By   this   canal  large    quantities    of    grain, 
potatoes,    and    other  produce  from  the  farms  of 
Ohio    are  carried  to  market.     Indian  corn  grows 
in    the    Ohio    fields.     Hogs    are    raised    in    great 
numbers    and  pork-packing  is  an  important  busi- 
ness in  Cincinnati. 

12.  Columbus,  the  capital  of  Ohio,  is  nearly  in 
the  centre  of  the  state,  on  the  banks  of  the  Scioto, 
one  of  the  rivers  which  flow  into  the  Ohio.      A 
good  deal  of  manufacturing  in  iron  is  carried  on 
in  Columbus,  and  there  is  a  large  trade  in  coal. 
A  great  deal  of  coal  is  mined  in  this  part  of  the 
state,  and  also  in  the  southeastern  part. 

13.  Look  on   the  map   and   see  how  near  you 
are  to  Pittsburgh  when  in  Southeastern  Ohio.     A 
narrow  region  of  country,  belonging  to  the  State 
of   West    Virginia,    extends    northward   like   the 
handle   of  a  big  pan,  between  this  part  of  Ohio 
and  Pennsylvania.     In  this  "pan-handle"  is  the 
city  of  Wheeling,  which   is  the  capital  of  West 
Virginia.       Akron,    Zanesville,     Springfield,    and 
Dayton  are  other  cities  in  Ohio. 

14.  West  of  Ohio  is  the  State  of  Indiana.     In 
the  southern  part  of  Indiana  there  are  many  low, 


100  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

rough  hills  where  limestone  is  found  in  abundance, 
from  which  lime  is  made.  The  farms  in  this  part 
of  the  state  are  not  as  fertile  as  they  are  further 
north,  though  there  are  many  rivers ;  and  along 
the  banks  of  these,  except  where  they  are 
marshy,there  is  much  fine  farming  land,  especially 
in  the  valley  of  the  Wabash. 

15.  New  Albany  and  Evansville  are  two  cities 
on  the  Ohio  River  in  the  southern    part  of    the 
state,  and  Terre  Haute,  further  north,  is  on  the 
Wabash  River.     All  around  this  town   is  a  rich, 
level  farming  country,  where  not  a  hill  is  to  be 
seen,  and  where   Indian   corn   grows    in   the  big 
fields. 

16.  Indianapolis,  the  capital   of    the    state,   is 
the  largest  city  in  Indiana.     Its  streets  are  wide 
and  shaded  with  trees.     The  State  House  is  a  fine 
building,    and    from    the    dome    the  outlook    is 
over  a  great  plain  surrounding  the   city.     There 
are  coal  mines  not  far  away,  and  farms,  villages, 
and    great    groves    of     black-walnut    trees    from 
which  much  beautiful  furniture  is  made. 

17.  It  is  so  warm  in  Indianapolis    in    the   sum- 
mer time,  that  it  seems  somewhat    like  a  South- 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  101 

ern  city.     There  are  many  colored  people  in  the 
place  who  came  up  from  the  South. 

18.  Michigan  City  is  the  only  town  in  Indiana 
on  the  lake  coast.     The  southern  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan    is    part   of    the    northern    boundary  of 
the    state.      Michigan    City    is    more    important, 
however,  as  a  railroad  town  than  as  a  lake  port. 

19.  For    many   miles  west   of   Michigan    City, 
along  the  shores  of   the  lake,  are  immense  sand 
dunes,  or  hills,  made  of  shifting  sand.      Nothing 
grows  on    these    dunes,    and    the  sands  are   con- 
stantly blown  about  by  winds  from  the  lake. 

20.  Sometimes    fishing    parties    from    some  in- 
land village    go    to    the    lake    by    way    of    these 
hills,  finding  their  way  through  the  little  valleys 
where    stunted    evergreens    grow.     To    come    out 
upon    the    broad,  beautiful    sandy   beach    of    the 
blue  lake,   after  walking   through  the   sand-hills, 
is  a  pleasant  experience. 

21.  People  often  come  from  Chicago  to  Mich- 
igan City  on  small  lake    steamers,  to    enjoy  the 
sail   on    the  lake ;    they   can  easily  go  and  come 
in    a  day  on    a   lake    steamer,  and  on    the  train 
the  journey  is  made  more  quickly. 


102  THE   WORLD    AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 
IN   CHICAGO. 

1.  Coming    into    Chicago    on    the    train    from 
Indiana,    you    pass    through    a   great  number  of 
small  towns  and  villages,  scattered  about  over  the 
prairie-land,  which  surrounds  the  great  city      In 
many  places  you  see  miles  of  broad  sidewalks,  built 
beside  streets  which  seem  like  country  roads.    You 
wonder   at   this ;  but   if   you  look,  you  will    see 
everywhere  on  the   land,  near  these  board   side- 
walks,  signs,  saying  that  lots  are  for  sale.     This 
accounts  for  it. 

2.  The  ground  in  many  places  about  Chicago  is 
low  and  marshy ;  and  although  it  is  drained  and 
made  into  pleasant  sites  for  houses  as  fast  as  these 
suburban  places  are  built  up,  still  the  first  thing 
that  is  necessary  to  get  people  to  think  of  living 
in  the  newer  suburbs,  is  to  give  them  sidewalks 
to  walk  upon. 

3.  These  new  places  are  built  up  rapidly,  for 
Chicago   grows  very  fast ;    and   the  people  must 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  103 

have  homes  in  the  suburbs,  because  there  is  not 
room  in  the  city  for  them  all. 

4.  As  you  near  the  city,  you  see  the  smoking 
chimneys  of  a  great  manufactory  in  a  large  town 
on  the  lake  shore,  called  South  Chicago.      Steel 
rails  for  railroads  are  made  at  South  Chicago.     It 
is  very  interesting  to  see  how  the  steel  is  made  of 
melted  iron  that  comes  out  of   the   furnace   like 
running  brooks  of  fire,  and  is  afterwards  moulded 
into   rails   on   great   machines.     When   the   rails 
have  cooled  and  hardened  they  are  ready  to  be 
laid  on  the  wooden  ties  of  a  railroad  bed. 

5.  There  are  a  great  number  of  railroads  coming 
into  Chicago  from   every  direction.     One  way  of 
entering  the  city  is  along  the  shore  of  the  lake. 
The  railroad  tracks  are  very  near  the  water's  edge. 
From  the  car  windows,  as  you  ride  into  the  city 
over  these  tracks,  you  can  see  the  waves  of  the 
lake  dashing  up  against  long  breakwaters,  which, 
not  unlike  piers,  are  built  out   from   the  shore. 
There  are  frequently  men  and  boys  to  be  seen 
fishing  on  these  breakwaters. 

6.  As  your  train  comes  down  into  the  city,  you 
pass  a  large,  open,  grassy  place,  planted  with  a  few 


104  THE  WORLD  AND    ITS    PEOPLE 

trees.  Across  this  park,  on  Michigan  Avenue,  you 
can  see  a  very  large  and  handsome  new  building. 
It  is  called  the  Auditorium,  and  has  an  immense 
hall  capable  of  holding  many  thousands  of  people. 

7.  President  Harrison   was   the    first    President 
nominated  in  the  Auditorium,  which  was  not  com- 
pleted at  the  time  he  w:as  nominated.     Before  this 
building  was  made,  the  national  conventions  had 
been  held  for  a  number  of  years  in  the  Exposition 
Building,  an  older  and  far  less  beautiful  building, 
a  little  way  down  Michigan  Avenue.     Your  train 
goes  directly  behind  this  building,  which  is  very 
near  the  lake  shore. 

8.  A  few  streets  below,  you  step  from  the  train, 
and  go  out  into  the  streets  of  Chicago.     In  this 
part  of  the  city  are  the  high  buildings  used  for  the 
wholesale  trade.     Not  far  from  the  station,  and 
near  the  place  where  the  Chicago  River  flows  into 
the  lake,  is  a  wholesale  grocery  house,  which  has 
a  marble  tablet  set  in  the  wall,  saying  that  here 

stood  the  old  log  building,  Fort  Dearborn.     This 

• 
fort  was  the  first  building  erected  where  this  great 

city  now  stands. 

9.  Thousands   of   people  now  living  remember 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  105 

when  Chicago  was  a  little  village,  and  Indians  and 
trappers  were  the  only  people  who  traded  with 
those  who  kept  the  small  shops  in  the  place.  In 
those  days  all  the  country  round  about  was  wild 
and  uncultivated.  But  the  land  is  rich  and 
fertile  in  Illinois,  and,  indeed,  all  about  Chicago 
for  hundreds  of  miles ;  and  people  soon  found  that 
they  could  make  homes  for  themselves  quickly  in 
this  part  of  the  country. 

- 10.  Great  lines  of  railway  were  built ;  farms 
were  made  on  the  new  prairie-land ;  wheat, 
corn,  and  oats  were  raised  in  enormous  quantities ; 
and  the  village  soon  grew  to  be  a  large  city. 

11.  Probably  more  wheat  is  bought  and  sold  in 
Chicago  now  than  in  any  other  city  in  the  world. 
All  visitors  to  Chicago  go  to  see  the  new  Board 
of  Trade  building. 

12.  You  may  take  a  walk  through  the  broad 
streets,  when  you  have  looked  as  long  as  you  like 
at  that  marble  tablet  on  the  store  which  stands  on 
the  site  of  old  Fort  Dearborn.     The  streets  cross 
each  other  at  right  angles. 

13.  There  are  no  irregular  or  narrow  streets  in 
Chicago,  and  no  hills.     It  is  built  on  perfectly  flat 


106  THE  WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

ground,  and  some  of  the  longer  streets  extend  for 
miles  without  a  rise  of  ground  or  a  turning  of  any 
sort. 

14.  You   cross   Michigan  Avenue   on  your  way 
up  from  the  station.     In  this  part  of  the  street  are 
business  buildings    and   hotels ;    but    a    half    mile 
southward,  the  fine  houses  begin,  which  extend  for 
several  miles  in  this  direction. 

15.  Very    many    of    these    houses    are    in    the 
modern  styles  of  beautiful  architecture.     A   pale, 
gray-green    stone,   which   comes    from   the    Lake 
Superior    country,  is  used  for  a  few  fine    houses. 
This  makes  an  artistic  contrast  with  the  dark  red 
brick    and    the    stone    of    other    colors    used   for 
most  of  the  houses. 

16.  As  you  go  through  the  streets  "down  town" 
in   Chicago,   you   notice   that   everybody  seems  to 
be  in  a  hurry.     You  must  use  even  greater  care 
in  crossing  the  streets  than  you  found  necessary  in 
New  York.     Most  of  the  street-cars  here  are  run 
by  a  cable  laid  under  the  streets,  and  connecting 
with  great  engines  in  different  parts  of  the  city. 
These  cable-cars  go  very  fast. 

17.  If  you  get  into  a  car  of  one  of  these  trains, 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  107 

you  can  ride  out  to  South  Park.  Here  you  will 
find  pleasant  park-wagons,  as  in  Central  Park, 
and  broad  drives  called  boulevards. 

18.  Along  Drexel  Boulevard  are  beautiful  beds 
of  bright  flowers,  and  in  the  park  is  a  large  con- 
servatory, where  you  may  see  flowers  of  all  kinds, 
to  your  heart's  content.     When  it  is  too  cold  for 
them  to  grow  out-of-doors,  —  and  it  is  often  bit- 
terly cold  in  Chicago  in  the  winter,  —  the  flowers 
of  the  boulevards  find  shelter  in  the  conservatory. 

19.  There  are   a   number   of   fine  parks  about 
Chicago,  and  boulevards  lead  from  one  to  another ; 
so    that    you    might  have  a    drive    of    thirty-five 
miles   from  park  to  park   around  this  great  city. 

20.  When  you  have   returned   to   the  business 
part   of  the  city  from  your    ride  to  South  Park, 
you  can  get  into  another  cable-car  and  go  through 
the  tunnel  under  the  river  to  the  North  Side,  and 
out  to  Lincoln  Park. 

21.  The    bridges   over   the  Chicago   River    are 
made  to  turn,  to  allow  lake-steamers  to  come  up 
stream   to   the   grain-elevators.     If  you   are  in  a 
hurry  to  cross  the   river,  and  the    drawbridge  is 
turned  for  a  steamer,  it  is  not  agreeable  to  wait 


108  THE  WORLD  AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

for  it  to  turn  back,  and  the  tunnels  under  the  stream 
make  it  possible  for  people  to  go  more  quickly. 

22.  On  the  way  to  Lincoln  Park  you  will  see 
pleasant     streets     an$     many    handsome     houses 
and    churches,    and    you    will     pass    stores    and 
shops   without   number    in    the    business    streets 
through  which  you  go.     In  Lincoln  Park  is  a  very 
noble   statue    of    President    Lincoln,    made   by  a 
famous  sculptor,  Augustus  St.  Gaudens. 

23.  You   have   now  been  out   upon  the  North 
Side  and  the  South   Side  of   the  city.      A  third 
portion,  called  the  West  Side,  lies  across  the  river 
in  another  direction. 

24.  Many   visitors   to    Chicago   go   to    see    the 
stock-yards,  where  are  cattle,  sheep,  and  hogs  by 
thousands,  brought  in  cars  from  the  stock-farms 
of  the  great  West  to  be  made  into  beef,  mutton, 
and  pork. 

25.  The  cars   for  carrying  live-stock  are  made 
with  spaces  between  the  boards  to  enable  the  ani- 
mals to  breathe  while  coming  to  the  great  slaughter- 
houses.    The  meat  is  sent  to  the  Eastern  cities. 
Large   quantities    of    it   are   canned   and    sent  to 
England  and  Russia,  and  other  distant  countries. 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  109 

26.  A  boy  who   had   always   lived  on  a  great 
stock-farm  in  Illinois,  was  taken  to  the  city  for  his 
first  visit.     His  father  asked  him  if  he  would  not 
like  to  go  out  to  the  stock-yards.     The  boy  knew 
that  his  father  had  just    sent  a  train  of  twenty 
cars  of  stock  to  the  yards,  and  his  answer  was; 
"No,  papa.     I'm  afraid  I  might  see  them  killing 
some  poor  cow  that  I  am  acquainted  with." 

27.  There  are  many  manufactories  in  and  near 
Chicago.      The   coal   used  is   chiefly    a    soft   coal 
which    makes    a   very   thick   smoke.      The   wind 
blows  most  of  the  time,  otherwise  the  dust  and 
soot  would  be  most  unpleasant. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

ILLINOIS     PRAIKIES. 

1.  Illinois  is  a  prairie  state.  When  it  was  ad- 
mitted into  the  Union,  much  of  it  was  an  unfenced 
plain.  Now  it  is  covered  with  railroads,  towns, 
cities,  and  farms.  The  wild  flowers  that 
grew  in  profusion  on  the  uncultivated  lands  have 
given  place  to  fields  of  Indian  corn,  oats,  wheat. 


110  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

and  buckwheat,  and  to  meadows  of  timothy  grown 
for  hay.  Eighty  acres  are  often  fenced  in  for  one 
hay-field. 

2.  When  the  wind  blows  across  a  big  timothy 
meadow,  just  before  the  hay  is  ready  for  cutting, 
the    grasses,  swaying   as   the    wind  bends  them, 
look  like  waves  of  the  lake.     If  the  sky  is  clouded 
here   and  there,  and  both  shadows  and  sunshine 
fall   upon   the  field,  the   bowing   of    the   grasses 
seems  even  more  like  the  light  and  dark  of  the 
waves,  as  they  rise  and  fall. 

3.  Although   old-fashioned   fences  of   rails  and 
boards,  and  new-fashioned  fences  of   cruel  barbed 
wire  are  much  used  in  Illinois,  a  favorite  way  of 
dividing  the  fields  is  by  hedges  of  osage  orange. 

4.  This  is  common  in  other  Western  states  also. 
It  is  a  thorny  hedge,  and  the  leaves  are  long  and 
glossy.     The  fruit  is  green  in  color  and  not  good 
to  eat,  but  it  makes  fine  balls  to  play  with.     These 
hedges   grow   as    high    as    cherry   trees,    if    not 
trimmed   down,  and  give    the    treeless  prairies   a 
pleasant  look. 

5.  Within  thirty  miles  of  Chicago,  to  the  south- 
west, are  prairies  where  for  many  miles  there  is 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  Ill 

not  a  tree  that  has  not  been  planted.  Along  the 
creeks  there  are  natural  groves  of  trees,  —  hick- 
ories, black-walnuts,  butternuts,  oaks  and  maples. 

6.  Lombardy  poplars  —  tall,  straight  trees  —  are 
planted  on  almost  every  farm  in  this  part  of  the 
country.     Driving  across  the  prairies,  you  can  tell 
the    location    of    any  distant    farm-house    by    the 
group  of  tree,s  planted  about  it,  and  especially  by 
the  poplars  standing  up  high  like  church  steeples 
above  the  roofs. 

7.  The  water  in  the  creeks  on  the  prairies  does 
not  run  so  fast  as  the  brooks    of  Eastern  states, 
where    the    country   is   hilly.     There   is    so  little 
slope  to  the  land  of  the  prairies  that  the  water  in 
these  prairie  creeks  moves  very  slowly. 

8.  Slough   grasses   and   flowers    grow  quite    to 
their  edges,  and  the  ground  is  so  dark  and  rich 
that   the  blue-flags    and   other   flowers   are    often 
reflected    in  water   which    appears   to   be   brown. 
But  if  you  take  up  a  little  water  in  your  hand, 
you  find  it  as  clear  as  if  it  were  flowing  down 
fast  over  a  rocky  bed,  instead  of  creeping  along 
over  a  loamy  one  lined  with  thick  grasses. 

9.  The  Indian  corn   in  the  great  fields  of  the 


112  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

West  is  usually  planted  with  rows  both  ways,  like 
a  checker-board.  The  corn-planting  machines  are 
made  so  that  the  kernels  are  dropped  into  the 
ground  at  even  distances.  Then  when  the  corn 
grows  up,  and  tassels  out,  each  stalk  is  exactly 
the  same  distance  from  its  nearest  neighbor. 

10.  It  is  delightful  to  drive  along  a  prairie  road 
on  a  summer  day,  during  the  time  oj:  the  harvest 
of  oats,  and  see  the  great  fields  of  yellow  grain 
with    the    reapers    at  work.      There    is    the   wide 
yellow  track  round   the  field  where  the  machine 
has  cut  the  grain,  and  the  oats  still  standing  in 
the  centre   of   the  field.     There   are  the  bundles 
which   have    been   tied    up    and    lie    drying    and 
ripening  in  the  sun.     The   sky  is  blue,  and  the 
green  osage  hedge  shines  in  rich  contrast  with  the 
ripe  grain. 

11.  You  may  travel  all  over  the  State  of  Illinois, 
and  see  thousands   of   such   scenes.     Everywhere 
railroads  cross  the  farms  and  fields,  and  every- 
where  are   pleasant   towns ;    while  white    school- 
houses  dot  the  country,  as  stars  dot  the  sky. 

12.  The   Chicago   River,  which   used   to   be   a 
narrow,   sloughy    stream,    has  been  widened   and 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  113 

deepened  for  the  entrance  of  lake  steamers.  It  is 
one  of  the  few  rivers  in  Illinois  which  flow  into 
Lake  Michigan.  Most  of  the  others,  large  and 
small,  find  their  way  into  the  Mississippi  River, 
which  is  the  western  boundary  line  of  the  state. 

13.  The  creeks  of   Illinois   flow  into  the  little 
rivers,  and  the  little  rivers  into  the  large  ones,  — 
the  Illinois  -River,  Rock  River,  and  the  Kaskaskia 
River,  —  and  these  all  empty  into  the  Mississippi. 

14.  In  the  southeastern  part  of  the  state  some 
of  the    streams  flow  towards  the  Wabash  River, 
which  for  a  long  distance  separates  Illinois  from 
Indiana.     The  Wabash  flows  south  into  the  Ohio 
River.     But  this,  as  you  remember,  flows  into  the 
Mississippi,  in  its  turn. 

15.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  River,  where  it 
empties  into  the  Mississippi,  is  the  town  of  Cairo. 
North   of   Cairo  is  a  large  coal  region.     At  the 
town  of  Peoria,  much  further  north,  the  Illinois 
River  widens  into  a  pretty  lake  called  Peoria  Lake. 
There    are   high   bluffs   on   the  Illinois  River  at 
Peoria.      Joliet,    famous    for   its    stone   quarries, 
Aurora,  Bloomington,  and  Elgin,  where  the  Elgin 
watches  are  made,  are  other  cities  of  Illinois. 


1.14  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

16.  In   the  central  part  of   the  state,  not  far 
from  the  river  Sangamon,  is  Springfield,  the  capi- 
tal of  Illinois.     Here  was  the  home  of  President 
Lincoln. 

17.  It   was   from   the    steps    of    the    train    on 
which  he  went   away  to  Washington    to   become 
President  of  the  United  States  that  Mr.  Lincoln 
said  good  by  to  his    old  friends    and   neighbors. 
You  know  that  he  never  returned,  living,  to  his 
old  home.     His  grave  is  at  Springfield. 

18.  "Not  for  thy  sheaves  nor  savannas 

Crown  we  thee,  proud  Illinois ! 
Here  in  his  grave  is  thy  grandeur ; 
Born  of  his  sorrow  thy  joy. 

19.  "Over  our  Washington's  river 

Sunrise  beams  rosy  and  fair, 
Sunset  on  Sangamon  fairer, 
Father  and  martyr  lies  there. 

20.  "  Sangamon,  stream  of  the  prairies ! 

Placidly  westward  that  flows, 
Ear  in  whose  city  of  silence, 
Calm  he  has  sought  his  repose." 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  115 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
KENTUCKY  AND   THE   MAMMOTH  CAVE. 

1.  South  of  the  States  of  Illinois,  Indiana,  and 
Ohio  is  Kentucky.     You  remember  that  the  sus- 
pension bridge  over  the  Ohio  River  at  Cincinnati 
connects   that  city  with  Covington,  which   is  in 
Kentucky. 

2.  Kentucky  is  a  very  long  state  from  east  to 
west ;  but  as  the  distance  from  the  river  on  the 
north  to  the  southern  boundary  line  is  not  very 
great,  it  is,  after  all,  not  much  larger  than  Indiana, 
the  smallest  of  the  three  states  north  of  it.     The 
rivers  in  Kentucky  flow  towards  the  Ohio  River; 
so  you  see,  that  you  are  still  in  the  basin  of  the 
Mississippi  while  in  Kentucky. 

3.  In   the   eastern   part   of   Kentucky  are    the 
Cumberland    Mountains.     These  are  part  of   the 
Appalachian  system,  the  same    system   to  which 
the  Green  Mountains  of   Vermont  and  the  Blue 
Ridge  of   Pennsylvania  belong. 

4.  They  all  form  the  great  divide  which  sepa- 


116  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

rates  the  rivers  of  the  great  lakes  and  the  Missis- 
sippi valley  from  those  of  the  Atlantic  slope.  The 
scenery  of  the  Cumberland  Mountains  is  very  pic- 
turesque, and  several  large  rivers  have  their  rise 
in  the  springs  of  the  Cumberland. 

5.  All  the  way  from  the  Big  Sandy  River  west- 
ward  to    the    Cumberland    River,    covering    more 
than  half  of  the  state,  is  a.  famous  tract  of  land 
called    The   Blue   Grass    Country.       It    is   a   hilly 
country,  and  the  limestone  which  abounds  here  is 
of   a  bluish  tint. 

6.  Kentucky  blue-grass  is  as  green  as  any  other 
grass ;  but  it  grows  plentifully  on  these  blue  hills, 
and  forms  a  fine  pasture  for  the  horses  for  which 
this  region  is  celebrated.     Kentucky  horses  bring 
good    prices  everywhere,  and  they  are   raised   in 
great  numbers. 

7.  Imagine  yourself  standing  by  the  fence  of  a 
great  pasture  where  five  hundred  horses  are  feeding. 
One  inquiring  colt  comes  towards  you.     Perhaps 
he  puts  his  nose  through  the  bars  of   the   fence. 
Another  colt  joins  him ;  then  come  their  mothers, 
and  three  or  four  yearlings,  the  colts  of  last  year. 

8.  Soon  twenty  others   join  them  to  see  what 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  117 

they  are  interested  in.  Before  you  know  it,  a 
hundred  of  the  beautiful  slender-limbed  animals, 
of  differing  ages,  most  of  them  bay  in  color  and 
sleek  of  coat,  are  looking  at  you  from  the  other 
side  of  the  fence. 

9.  Something     startles     them.       Perhaps     you 
climb  up    on  the  fence,  and  they   think  you  are 
going  to   catch   some    of  them.'     They  love  their 
freedom ;  and  before  you  can  think,  they  turn  and 
go   galloping   off  like  the    wind   over  the  breezy 
knolls  of  the  broad  pasture. 

10.  Hemp  and  tobacco,  both  plants  that  need 
a    mild    Southern    climate,    grow    in    Kentucky. 
A  field  of  hemp  in  blossom  is  a  beautiful  sight. 
When  you  think  that  the  ropes  made  from  Ken- 
tucky hemp  are  used  all  over  the  country,  you 
will  remember  this  blossoming  field. 

11.  Louisville  is  the  largest  city  in  Kentucky, 
and  Frankfort  is  the  capital  of  the  state. 

12.  Louisville   is   on   the    banks   of    the   Ohio 
River.      The    river   here    is   very    rapid ;    people 
speak   of    "  the    falls "    at    Louisville ;    although 
when   the  river   is   high,  steamboats    go  up   and 
down  the  rapids  instead  of  through  the  canal. 


118  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

13.  The  gardens  and  lawns  about  the  houses  of 
this    city  are  generally   large    and  pleasant  ones, 
and  flowers  grow  out  of  doors  much  later  in  the 
autumn  than  in  more  northerly  places. 

14.  Pork-packing  is  a  good  business  in  Louis- 
ville, as  well  as  the  shipping  of  tobacco,  hemp,  and 
other   productions    of    the   state,   and   the    sugar- 
curing  of  hams   is  carried  on  by  many  firms. 

15.  Near  the  Green  River  in  the  western  part  of 
Kentucky  is  one  of  the  largest  caves  in  the  world. 
It  is  called  the  Mammoth  Cave.    Mammoth  means 
very  large, — enormous. 

16.  You  could  not  possibly  walk  about  every- 
where in  this  great  cavern.     If  we    visit  it,  you 
must    content  yourself    with    only    a  peep   at  its 
wonderful   rooms    and    grottos.      Not    even    the 
people  who  own  it,  and  whom  we  pay  to  show  us 
a  little  of   the  cave,  have  seen   all   of   its  nooks 
and  corners. 

17.  The    cave    reaches   nine   miles    under    the 
ground,  and  to  explore  all  of  the  rooms  and  gal- 
leries branching    from  the  main  one  would  take 
nearly  two  hundred  miles  of  travel. 

18.  If  you  are  to  visit  the  cave,  put  on  flannel 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  119 

suits  like  gymnasium  suits,  instead  of  your  usual 
clothes,  and  over  these  wear  oil-cloth  suits 
like  those  you  put  on  to  go  under  the  falls  at 
Niagara.  This  is  to  keep  off  the  water 
which  drips  from  the  roof  of  some  parts  of  the 
cave.  Then,  following  your  guides  who  carry 
lights,  go  down  into  the  cave. 

19.  In  this  dark  underground  world,  you  see, 
as  you  walk  on,  wonderful  rooms,  one  after  an- 
other, arched   with   white    stones  in  all  sorts  of 
strange     and     beautiful    forms,    that    glitter     as 
the  light  falls  upon  them. 

20.  Down  from   the   roofs   hang   long   shining 
stalactites,  that  look  like  great  white  icicles.     The 
water,  slowly   dripping   through   from   the  earth 
above,  has  made  the  stone  roof  of  the  cave  take 
all  sorts  of  fantastic  and  flowery  shapes. 

21.  All  around  you  are  pillars  and  posts  of  the 
stone,  shining  in  the  light  of  your  guides'  torches. 
Some  of  these   pillars  reach  to   the   roof;  others 
are  only  a  few  feet  high.     In  these  avenues  which 
are  not  much   higher   than  ordinary  rooms,  the 
white  walls  do  not  seem  so  wonderful  as  when  you 
come   out  into  one  of  the  great  rooms,  like  the 


120  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

Star  Chamber.     Here  you   can   scarcely   see   the 
roof. 

22.  Your   guides  conduct  you  up  ladders  and 
over  streams  of  water.     You  stand  near  the  edge 
of  one  of  the  deep  pits,  —  the  Maelstrom  or  the 
Bottomless  Pit,  —  and  toss  in  pebbles,  which  you 
hear  rattling  away,  down,  down,  till  at  last  the 
sound  ceases,  and  you  cannot  guess  how  deep  nor 
how  far  they  have  gone. 

23.  At  Echo  River  you  toss  pebbles  again,  this 
time  into  a  stream  running  where  the  sun  never 
shines   upon  it.      Fishes  without  eyes  have  been 
found  in  Echo  River.     Over  the   river  Styx  you 
cross  on  a  natural  bridge  formed  of  stone  which 
arches  the    deep  black   water.     When   the  guide 
tells  you  that  fishes  with  eyes  have  been  taken 
from  the  river  Styx,  you  ask,  "  Of  what  good  are 
their  eyes  to  them,  since  they  live  here   in  this 
sunless  cavern  ?  " 

24.  "  None,"  he  answers ;  "  for  they  are  all  blind. 
Nature   does   not  bother   them    with   sight   when 
they  will  never  need  it.      But,  as   strange  as  it 
may  seem  to  you,  they  can  swim  just  as  well  in 
the  dark." 


OUR    OWN    COUNTRY.  121 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
VIRGINIA  AND   THE   CAROLINAS. 

1.  If  we  go  over   the    Cumberland    Mountains 
eastward    from    Kentucky,  we   find    ourselves    in 
the  State  of  Virginia.     We  are  in  a  picturesque 
mountainous    country.     As  we  travel   northward 
through  the  valleys  of    the   Blue  Ridge,  we  find 
small  towns  and  pretty  farms.     We  come  to  the 
Peaks  of  Otter.     From  these  high  mountains  we 
can  look  out  over    the  tobacco  fields  and  farms 
round  about  the  city  of  Lynchburg. 

2.  In    the    spring  when    the  tobacco  plant    is 
in  blossom,  you  would  not  imagine  what  it  could 
be,  if  you  had  never  before  seen  it  growing.     But 
when  it  is  ripe,  and  hangs  dry  upon  the  stalks, 
it  would  not  be  so  hard  to  recognize  it.     All  the 
way  to  Richmond,  the  capital,  we  may  see  large 
fields  of  tobacco,  and  great  quantities  of  it  are 
shipped  from  that  city. 

3.  Going    northward,    and    on    our    mountain 
journey,  we  shall  not  see  much  tobacco  growing, 
but  more   grains   and   fruits.     All  through  these 


122      -  THE  WORLD  AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

Virginia  mountains  there  are  mineral  springs 
of  various  sorts.  We  must  see  the  White 
Sulphur  Springs  in  West  Virginia. 

4.  Like  Saratoga    in    the  North,  this    town    is 
a  favorite  resort  for  people   who  do  not  care  to 
take  the  waters  for  their  health,  as  well  as   for 
those  who  do.     It  is  a  pleasant  place  to  visit  for 
any  reason.     We  see  groups  of  people  dressed  in 
white,  sitting  upon  the  hotel  piazzas  in  the  pleas- 
ant summer  evening,  or  walking  about  under  the 
trees. 

5.  Down   the  beautiful  Shenandoah  valley  we 
go  northward  until  we  reach  the  Potomac  River 
at  the  town  of  Harper's  Ferry.     Here  both  the 
Shenandoah    and    the    Potomac   force   their   way 
through  the  mountains,  and  all  around  us  we  see 
the  most  romantic  and  delightful  scenes. 

6.  We  passed  .Harper's  Ferry  on  our. first  boat 
journey  up  the  Potomac,  although  we  were  then 
making  acquaintance  with  the  river,  rather  than 
with  the  towns  along  its  banks.     The  Potomac  is 
the  northern  boundary  of  Virginia,  and  we  may 
now  repeat  for  a  little  distance  our  first  journey 
down  the  river. 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  123 

7.  We  will  go  in  a  steamboat  instead  of  a  row- 
boat,  and  stop  at  Alexandria  on  the  Virginia  shore. 
We  can  see  the  dome  of   the  Capitol   across  the 
river  at  Washington,  and  we  learn  now  that  the 
home  and  tomb  of  General  Washington  that  we 
visited  are  in  Virginia  too. 

8.  Richmond,  the  capital  and  the  largest  city  of 
the   state,    is   a   hundred   miles   south   of   Mount 
Vernon,  on  the  banks  of   the  James  River.     We 
see  the  smoking  chimneys  of  many  manufactories 
in  our  walks  about  this  pleasant  city  on  the  hills. 

9.  The    falls    of    the    James    River   make    the 
working   power   for   the   machinery  of  the  mills 
and  manufactories.     In  the  Capitol  park  we  come 
upon  a  statue  of  General  Washington,  —  a  famous 
statue  by  the  sculptor  Houdon. 

10.  A  little  more  than  a  hundred  miles  west  of 
Richmond  is  the  celebrated  Natural  Bridge.     It  is 
worth  going  a  long  way  to  see.     Adar  Creek,  a 
shallow  stream,  has  worn  its  way  through  the  rocks 
of  a  deep  chasm.     At  one  end  of  this  chasm  the 
rock  joins,  high  above  the  creek,  in  an  arch. 

11.  Nature  has  made  a  bridge  of  stone  over  this 
little  stream,  and  people  walk  and  drive  across  it  on 


124 


THE   WORLD    AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


%     llftLe 
HH  lie  road. 
Think 

of  riding  over  a 
fine,  stone,  arched 
bridge,  which  no 
man  ever  worked 
to  build ! 

12.  The  journey 
down  to  Fortress 
Monroe  and  Old 


THE   NATURAL   BRIDGE 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  125 

Point  Comfort  from  Richmond  gives  us  glimpses 
of  a  different  sort  of  country.  For  after  we  have 
passed  the  plantations,  or  farms,  our  train  takes  us 
through  great  forests  of  yellow  pine,  oak,  cypress, 
and  locust. 

13.  Norfolk  must  be  visited.    Here  thousands  of 
boxes  of  strawberries  are  shipped  in  early  spring 
to  Northern  cities.     Early  vegetables  are  sent  to 
New   York   and   Boston,   too,   long   before    it    is 
time  for  them  to  be  ripe  in  the  market  gardens 
near  these  cities. 

14.  South  of  Norfolk,  and  extending  southward 
for  forty  miles,  into  North  Carolina,  is  a  great 
morass  called  the  Dismal  Swamp.     It  is  not  so  dis- 
mal a  region  as  its  name  seems  to  show ;  for  there  is 
a  canal  made  through  the  marsh,  and  it  furnishes  a 
great  deal  of  timber  for  use  in  making  ships  and 
railroad  ties,  and  also  for  making  shingles.     There 
is  something  very  cheerful  in  the  sight  of  a  load 
of  clean  shingles,  being  carried  far  away  to  make 
roofs  for  houses,  stables,  and  schoolhouses. 

15.  Two  large  sounds  extend  into  the  land  of 
North  Carolina.      They  are    separated   from   the 
Atlantic  Ocean  by  long  and  narrow  islands.     Be- 


126  THE  WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

tween  these  islands  are  numerous  straits  leading 
into  the  sounds,  which  are  called  Albemarle  Sound 
and  Pamlico  Sound. 

16.  The   waters   here    are   usually  smooth,  for 
they  are  sheltered  from    the  rough  winds  of  the 
Atlantic.     Coasting  vessels,  trading  between  Nor- 
folk   and    Newbern,    pass    through    these    sounds. 
But  steamers  from  the  South,  sailing  in  the  open 
Atlantic  outside  these  sheltering  islands,  usually 
pass  by  them  a  good  way  out  at  sea. 

17.  Look  on  the  map,  and   you  will  see  how 
the  land   of    one  of   these   islands   juts  out    into 
the  sea  at  Cape  Hatteras.     It  is  a  stormy  coast, 
and  sailors  expect  gales  while  "  off  Hatteras." 

18.  Wilmington,  near  the  coast,  at  the  mouth 
of  Cape  Fear  River,  is  the  largest  city  in  North 
Carolina.     A  great  deal  of  turpentine,  rosin,  tar, 
and   pitch,  as  well   as   cotton,  are  shipped  from 
Wilmington. 

19.  Raleigh,  the  capital  of  North  Carolina,  is 
near  the   central'  part  of   the  state.     In  all  the 
capitals  you  may  visit,  you  will  find  few  State 
Houses  more  beautiful  than  the  one  at  Raleigh. 
It  is  of  granite,  and  from  its  outlook  you  can  see 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  12? 

the  pretty  city  on  the  hill  and  the  cotton  plan- 
tations round  about. 

20.  In  the  western  part  of  North  Carolina  are 
the  Black  Mountains.     Here  the  peaks  are  as  high 
as  those  of  the  White  Mountains  in  New  Hamp- 
shire ;     and     Mount     Mitchell     is     higher    than 
Mount   Washington,    the    highest    of    the   White 
Mountains.     Both  of  them  are  more  than  a  mile 
high. 

21.  There  are  a  number  of   mountains  a  mile 
high  near  Mount  Mitchell  in1  North  Carolina,  but 
this  is  the  last  group  of  high  mountains  that  we 
see  in  going  southward.      This   is   the    southern 
group   of    the   Appalachian   system ;    the    White 
Mountains  form  the  most  northern  one,  hundreds 
of  miles  away. 

22.  We  have  been  in  a  cotton-growing  country 
in  North  Carolina.     In   South  Carolina,   we  find 
ourselves  further  still  into  "  the  land  of  the  cotton 
and   the    cane."      Sugar-cane,   from  which    sugar 
and  molasses  are  made,  grows  on   almost  all  of 
the  upland  farms  of  South  Carolina. 

23.  Sugar-cane   looks  very   much    like    Indian 
corn,   while    growing    in  the   field.     The    stalks 


128 


THE   WORLD    AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


grow  about  as  high,  and  have  long,  green,  banner- 
like  leaves.  But  there  are  no  ears  of  corn  on 
the  sugar-cane ;  and  the  leaves  are  all  stripped 
from  the  sweet  and  juicy  stalks  before  they  go 
into  the  mill  that  presses  out  the  thick  sweet 
liquid  from  which  sugar  is  made. 

24.  You  must  see   the    rice-fields   on   the   low 

islands  of  the 
Carolina  coast. 
Rice  is  a  thirsty 
plant,  as  you 
will  easily  guess 
when  you  see 
how  much  it  is 
watered  while 
growing.  It 

must,  of   course,  be   above    the    salt 
water's  reach  when  the  tide  is  high. 
But   on   the  islands   that   are   some- 
times    overflowed    rice    grows    well. 
RICE  PLANT.     And    on    many    of    the    plantations, 
ditches  with  gates  are  arranged,  so  that  the  fields 
may  be  flooded  when  the  farmers  think  it  neces- 
sary. 


OUR    OWN    COUNTRY. 


129 


25.  It  is  pleasant  to  stand  on  the  piazza  of  a 
plantation  home,  and  look  across  the  fields  where 
the  green  plant  is  growing,  and  think  how,  by  and 
by,  the  seeds  of  this  plant  will  be  made  into  pud- 
dings, or  served  with  cream  for  boys  and   girls 
thousands  of  miles  away. 

26.  The  rice-bird   likes  the  seeds  too ;   and  all 

sorts  of  devices  are  in- 
vented   to    frighten 
He  is 


A    RICE    FIELD. 


a  dainty  morsel  himself  when  broiled,  and  has 
more  to  fear  from  hunters'  guns  than  from  scare- 
crows. 

27.  The  rice-bird  spends  his  summers  in  the 
North,  where  he  is  called  the  bobolink.  Every- 
body admires  the  music  of  his  song,  and  nobody 


130  THE  WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

ever  reminds  him  that  he  is  a  great  annoyance  to 
the  Carolina  rice-growers  when  he  is  at  home. 

28.  Rice  and  cotton  are  both  shipped  in  enor- 
mous quantities  from  Charleston,  the  largest  city 
in  South  Carolina. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

IN  THE   SOUTH. 

1.  Savannah  is  one  of  the  largest  cities  in  Geor- 
gia.    This  state  is  separated  from  South  Carolina 
by  the  Savannah  River.     The   city  of  Savannah 
is  about  eighteen  miles  from  the  mouth   of  the 
river.      Steamers  come  up    the   broad   Savannah 
from  the  ocean,  and  are  loaded  with  cotton  and 
rice  for  distant  ports. 

2.  Come   to   the   river,  down  from  the  streets 
of  the  city  shaded  by  live  oaks,  to  the  wharves 
below    the    high    bluffs    along   the     river    front. 
Here  you  see.  the  huge  bales  of   cotton,  as  they 
are  brought  down  and  loaded  upon  the  steamers, 
which  are  to  carry  them  away  to  the   manufac- 
tories. 

U,  After   watching    the    people   at   work   here 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  131 

for  a  time,  you  may  go  up  into  the  city  again, 
past  the  rice  warehouses,  and  on  into  the  quiet 
streets,  where  the  tulip  laurel  grows,  and  where 
flowers  bloom  in  the  gardens  from  March  until 
New  Year's. 

4.  It  is  warmer  here  in  winter  than  in  any  place 
we  have  yet  visited.     There  are  many  boys  and 
girls  in  Georgia  who  have  no  idea  of  the  pleasures 
of  coasting  and  skating,  just  as  there  are  many 
boys  and  girls  in  the  North  who  cannot  imagine 
themselves  picking  roses  out  of  doors  at  Christmas 
time. 

5.  River  steamers  go  up  the  Savannah  to  the 
pleasant  city  of  Augusta.     On  the  way  you  can 
see,  from  your  place  on  the  deck,  distant  fields  of 
cotton.     The   cotton  is  planted  in  rows ;   and  in 
the  springtime,  the  colored  people,  who  do  much 
of  the  work  in  the  Southern  fields,  are  busy  hoeing 
out  the  weeds,  which  would  otherwise  grow  faster 
than  the  cotton  in  the  warm  sunshine. 

6.  In  the  summer,  when  the  cotton  is  ready  for 
picking,  you  will  see  the  white  fields  full  of  dark 
people,  picking  off  the  cotton,  as  it  bursts  open  in 
a  fluffy  ball  on  top  of  the  plant.     It  goes  on  ripen- 


132 


THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


ing  and  opening  for  several  months.  You  know, 
in  popping  corn,  some  kernels  pop  out  white  in 
the  heat  of  the  fire  sooner  than  others ;  and  it 

is  the  same  with  the 
balls  of  cotton  in  the 
heat  of  the  Southern 
sun. 

7.  The  cotton  is 
picked,  and  carried 
in  bags  to  the  cot- 
ton-gin. This  is  a 
machine  which  sepa- 
rates the  seeds  from 
the  fibre  of  the  cot- 
ton. Then  the  cotton 
is  pressed  into  big 
bundles,  called  bales ; 
and  you  have  seen 


how  these  are  loaded 
upon  steamers  at  the 
ports,  and  carried  away  to  be  made  into  ging- 
hams, prints,  sheetings,  and  fine  muslins.  There 
are  now  many  cotton  mills  in  the  Southern  States 
as  well  as  in  the  North. 


A  COTTON    FIELD. 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  133 

8.  The  most  delicate  and  beautiful  cotton  fabrics 
are  made  from  sea-island  cotton,  which  grows  on 
the  low  islands  along  the  coast.     This  cotton  has 
a  very  fine  fibre,  and  it  is  from  sea-island  cotton 
that  the  best  threads  are  made. 

9.  From   Augusta    to    Atlanta,    the   capital    of 
Georgia,  is  a  pleasant  ride  by  train.     You  can  see 
the  city  of  Atlanta  at  a  distance,  for  It  is  on  higher 
ground  than  the  surrounding  country.     A  number 
of  railroads  pass  through  Atlanta.     One  of  these 
runs  through  the  central  part  of  the  state. 

10.  You  can  go  north  on  this  railroad  through 
the  mountains,  where  iron  and  copper  are  found, 
to  Chattanooga,  just  over  the  border  in  the  State 
of  Tennessee.     On  your  way  you  will  see  a  great 
many  fruit  trees  and  large  fields  of  potatoes  and 
corn,  but  not  much  cotton.     Or  you  may  go  south 
through  the  cotton  and  tobacco  fields  of   central 
Georgia  to  the  sea. 

11.  The  Georgia  sea-islands  have  a  great  many 
palmetto  trees  growing  on  them.     The  palmetto 
grows  in  Florida,  also,  and  there  are  many  other 
trees  which  grow  wild  here  that  could  not  live  in 
the  cold  Northern  climate. 


134  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

12.  Cypress  and  magnolia,  mahogany,  the  dog- 
wood with  its    fragrant    blossoms    and  live   oaks 
hung  with  long  gray  mosses,  are  among  the  trees. 
Orange    trees    are   cultivated  in  Florida,   as   you 
already  know.      Some  of  the  largest  and  sweetest 
of  the  Florida  oranges  grow  in  the  Indian  River 
country. 

13.  In  the  streets  of   Jacksonville,  the  largest 
city  in  the  state,  a  great  many  orange  trees  of  a 
variety  with  very  sour  fruit  grow  as  ornamental 
trees.     Visitors  in  the  city  —  and  Jacksonville  is 
a  city  of  hotels,  filled  with  visitors  during  many 
months  of  the  year  —  often  express  surprise  that 
the  oranges  are  not  picked  from  these  trees.     But 
a  taste  of  the  fruit  makes  any  one  understand  why 
the  boys  in  the  street  leave  them  hanging  where 
they  are.      In  the  groves  near  the  city  delicious 
oranges  grow. 

14.  Strawberries  and  other  fruits  and  early  vege- 
tables are  sent  north  from  Jacksonville.     Steamers 
come  up  the  St.  John's  River  from  the  Atlantic 
Ocean,    bringing    dry-goods,    dishes,    and     other 
articles   of   Northern   manufacture,  and   carrying 
away  the  products  of  Florida. 


OUR    OWN    COUNTRY.  135 

15.  St.  Augustine,  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  is  the 
oldest    town    in    the    United    States.     In  it  there 
is  an  old  fort,  built  by  the  Spaniards  long,  long 
ago,  and  there  are  ruins  of  an  old  Spanish  wall 
which  was  built  for  the  defence  of  the  city. 

16.  Florida  is  a  great  peninsula,  and  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  state  is  nearly  all  one  vast  swamp, 
with  streams  and  lagoons  connecting  Lake  Okee- 
chobee  with  the  sea. 

17.  Look  on  the  map  and  you  will  see  just  how 
this  land  comes  out  into  the  ocean ;  and  you  will 
see  the  group  of  small  islands  lying  south  of  the 
peninsula.     Key  West  is  the  largest  one  of  these 
islands ;   it  was  made  by  the  coral  insect,  and  is 
now  grown  over  with  a  shrub  called  chaparral. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

THE   GULF   STATES, 

1.  If  you  were  at  Key  West,  and  should  go 
northward  in  a  coasting  steamer,  you  would  be 
for  several  days  on  the  waters  of  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  You  would  pass  the  pleasant  town  of 


136  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

Cedar  Keys,  on  the  west  coast  of  Florida,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Suwanee  River,  which  is  associated 
everywhere  by  the  old  song,  "  Way  down  upon  the 
Swanee  River,"  with  the  thought  of  home. 

2.  In   the  Appalachee   Bay  you   would  not  be 
very  far  from  Tallahassee,  the  capital  of  Florida. 
This  is  one  of  the  very  few  capital  cities  in  our 
country  which  is  not  on  a  river  or  on  the  coast. 
The  railroad  from  Tallahassee  comes  down  to  the 
coast  of  Appalachee  Bay. 

3.  West  of   the    capital   is   a   part   of   Florida 
which  is  not  a  part  of  the  great  peninsula.     Your 
steamer  is  now  south  of   the  land,  in   following 
the  coast,  instead  of  west  of   the  land,  as  when 
you  were  coming  up  past  Cedar  Keys. 

4.  There  are  a  great  many  low  sandy  islands 
along  this  coast,  and  the  water  of  the  bay  reaches 
into    lakes    called    bayous,   where    the   water   is 
brackish.       You     see    many   alligators    in    these 
bayous ;    but  the  negro  children,  playing  on  the 
shores  in  the  sunshine,  do  not  seem  to  be  as  much 
afraid  of  them  as  you  would  be,  if  you  were  in 
their  places.     It  is   very  warm  here  all  the  year 
round.      Indeed    the   water    of    the    great    Gulf 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  137 

is  a  good    deal  warmer    than    it    is    out    in    the 
ocean  itself. 

5.  There  is  a  current  which  flows  out  of   the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  northeast  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean, 
called  the  Gulf  Stream,  whose  waters  are  warmer 
than  the  ocean ;   and  sea-moss  and  weeds  of  the 
Gulf  are  found  on  it,  thousands  of  miles  away. 

6.  Pensacola,    on    Pensacola   Bay,  is   the    most 
western  city  in  Florida.     Soon  after  leaving  Pen- 
sacola Bay,  your  steamer  enters  Mobile  Bay  from 
the  Gulf.     Mobile,  the  largest  city  in  Alabama,  is 
at  the  head  of  Mobile  Bay.     You  are  no  longer  on 
the   Florida   coast,  you  see.     Alabama   has  little 
sea-coast    besides   this    beautiful    bay,    on   whose 
shores  the  magnolia  trees  bloom. 

7.  The    Alabama    River   and    the    Tornbigbee 
River,  two  great  streams  flowing  down  to  form  the 
Mobile  River,  rise  in  the  low  mountains  of  North- 
ern Alabama.     These  mountains  are  the  end  of 
the  Appalachian  chain  that  we  have  seen  so  often. 

8.  Montgomery,  the  capital  of  the  state,  is  on 
the  Alabama  River.     Cotton  grows  everywhere  in 
the   country  about   the    capital,  and  many  thou- 
sands of  bales  are  shipped  from  here. 


138  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

9.  West  of  Alabama  is  Mississippi,  another  of 
the  cotton  states,  bordering  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
It  is  a  state  without  mountains,  and  without  any 
very  large  cities.     In  our  journey  up  the  Missis- 
sippi River,  we  shall  find  that  some  of  the  towns 
in  this  state  are  interesting,  if  not  very  large. 

10.  Louisiana  is  the  fourth  Gulf  state,  and  Texas 
is  the  fifth.     They  are  called  the  Gulf  states  be- 
cause their  sea-coast  is  all  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
If  your  coasting  steamer  had  reached  the  mouth 
of  the  Mississippi  River  coming  from  Key  West, 
you  would  not  yet  have  skirted  half  of  your  coun- 
try's  Gulf  coast.      Louisiana  has   many  hundred 
miles  of  coast ;  so  has  Texas,  which  is  the  largest 
of  all  the  states.     Do  you  remember  which  one  is 
the  smallest  ? 

11.  All  along   the   coast    of  Louisiana   and   of 
Texas  are  seen  low  sandy  islands.     In  the  Gulf, 
not  far  from  New  Orleans,  one  of  these   islands 
was  once  swept   over  by  a  terrible  storm. 

12.  It  was  an  island  which  people  visited  as  a 
pleasure  resort,  and  when  the  storm  and  the  sea 
swept  over  the  island,  there  was  a  party  in  one  of 
the  hotels,  and  many  of  them  were  drowned  as  the 


OUR    OWN    COUNTRY.  139 

water  rushed    up    over    the    low  island    into   the 
houses. 

13.  Galveston,  on  the  coast   of  Texas,  has  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  beaches  in  the  world,  wide 
and  sandy ;  the  water  is  warm  enough  for  bathing 
at  any  season  of  the  year.     The  city  is  built  on 
an   island,  and    has    wide    streets.      When    your 
steamer  reaches  this  port,  you  will  find  yourself 
quite  ready,  after  your   long   ride,  to  go  ashore, 
walk  about  under  the  trees,  and  see  the  fine  flower- 
gardens  of  the  city. 

14.  Cotton  bales  are  plentiful  on  the  wharf,  as 
in  the  other  Southern  cities  we  have  visited.     We 
see  cattle  driven  upon  steamers  here  to  be  carried 
away  to  England  to   be  made   into  beef   for  our 
English  cousins. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

A   TEXAS  RANCH. 

1.  You  have  read  in  the  last  chapter  that  Texas 
is  the  largest  state  in  the  Union.  Not  many 
people  have  an  idea  of  the  size  of  Texas,  in  com- 
parison with  the  other  states. 


140  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

2.  Sometimes,  to  cultivate  the  power  of  observ- 
ing,   teachers  ask  their   pupils  which  they  think 
is  longer,  a  horse's  head  or  a  common  flour  barrel. 
It  is  worth  finding  out,  if  you  do  not  know.     And 
it  would  be  interesting  to  ask  some  people  which 
they  think  is  larger,  Texas  or  New  England. 

3.  "Possibly  Texas   is   larger,"   some  one  may 
answer   you.     Indeed  it  is.     Texas  is  more  than 
four  times  as  large  as  New  England.     There  are, 
you  remember,  six  states  in  New  England.    If  you 
could  put  these   six   states  into  Texas,  and  then 
take  all  four  of  the  neighboring  Gulf  states, — 
Florida,  Alabama,  Mississippi,  and   Louisiana, — 
and  put  them  into  Texas,  too,  there  would  still 
be  room  enough  around  the  corners  to  build  all 
of  the  large  cities  we  have  visited. 

4.  Most  of  the  rivers  in  this  vast  state  flow  into 
the   Gulf    of   Mexico ;    there   is    one   very   broad 
and  important  river,  the  Rio  Grande,  which  sepa- 
rates Texas  from  Mexico,  the  country  south  of  our 
own. 

5.  Near   the    coast   a   great   deal  of   cotton    is 
grown,  but  there  is  another  business  which  occu- 
pies the  farmers  of  inland   Texas.     This   is   the 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  141 

raising  of  cattle  and  sheep  for  distant  markets. 
You  know  that  at  Chicago  you  saw  long  trains 
loaded  with  live  animals.  Many  of  these  animals 
came  from  the  ranches  or  great  farms  of  Texas. 

6.  Sometimes  the  people  who  own  the  ranches 
live  in   the  cities,  and  hire  an  overseer  to  live  on 
the  ranches.     It  is  the  business  of  the  overseer  to 
attend  to   the    owner's    interests     in    every   way. 
Mexicans  are  often  employed  by  them  to  do  the 
work  on  the  ranch,  in  taking  care  of  the  cattle. 

7.  Frank  Gary,  a  Northern  boy,  once  went  to 
visit  his  cousin  John  Gary,  who  lived  in  San  An- 
tonio.    John's  father  had  a  ranch  about  a  hun- 
dred miles  from  the  pleasant  sunny  city. 

8.  One  morning  he  told  the  boys  that  he  was 
going  to  the    ranch   next   day  to  see  the  cattle, 
and  they  might,  if  they  liked,  go  with  him.     Of 
course  they  were  glad   to  go  and  were  up  very 
early  next  morning. 

9.  After  riding  from  sunrise  until  noon  in  the 
cars,  they  stopped  at  a  little  country  station  where 
they  found  the  overseer  waiting  for  them  with  a 
spring  wagon.     Away  they  went  over  the  rolling 
prairie  lands  for  seven  miles,  across  the  ranch  of 


142  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

one  of  their  friends,  until  they  came  to  the  Gary 
Ranch.  Here  they  found  a  group  of  small  houses 
of  pine  and  of  adobe,  in  which  the  people  lived. 

10.  They  were  very  hungry  after  their  long  ride, 
and  glad   to   find   dinner   ready    for    them  in  the 
overseer's  house,  —  a  good  dinner  of  broiled  veni- 
son  and  of  sweet  potatoes  larger  and  sweeter  than 
any  Frank  had  ever  seen. 

11.  After   dinner  the  hoys  went  out  to  watch 
some    of  the    men  "breaking"  a    Texas  mustang. 
The  wild  little  horse  did  not  like  the  saddle  and 
bridle    which    were     put    on    him,    and    jumped 
about  so  much  that  no  one  could  mount  him  for  a 
long  time.     At  last  one  of  the  men  jumped  upon 
the  horse's  back  and  rode  off  down  the  pasture 
as  fast  as  the  wild  little  animal  could  run. 

12.  It  seemed  at  first  as  if  the  mustang  would 
run  upon  the  barbs  of  the   wire  fence  that  sur- 
rounded  the  great  pasture.     But  the  colts  learn 
the  danger  of  the  barbs  while  very  young,  and  the 
mustang  turned  away  and  fell  into  a  steady  gal- 
lop, as  he  neared  the  fence. 

13.  "When  the  ranch  was  first  fenced,"  said  John's 
father,  "the  animals  often  hurt  themselves  on  the 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  143 

barbs,  but  it  seldom  happens  now.  At  first,  too, 
we  had  a  good  deal  of  trouble  because  people  on 
other  ranges  would  come  and  cut  the  wires  of  our 
fence  to  let  their  cattle  come  down  to  drink  at  the 
creek.  But  that  sort  of  lawlessness  is  now  a  thing 
of  the  past  in  Texas.  Many  of  the  ranches  are 
fenced  now,  although  there  are  still  millions  of- 
acres  unfenced." 

14.  Frank  and  John  were  up  early  next  day, 
to  follow  the  salting   wagon.     Each  one   rode  a 
mustang  pony,  which  was  gentler  than  the  ani- 
mal they  had    seen    mounted   for   the    first   time 
the  day  before. 

15.  John's  father  was  in  the  spring  wagon  with 
the   overseer,  who   ladled  out  salt  for  the  cattle 
from  a  great  tub  in  the  back  of  the  wagon.     This 
the  cattle  ate  eagerly  from  the  dewy  grass,  and 
hundreds   of  them  came  running  across    the  pas- 
ture at  sight  of  the  wagon,  to  get  a  taste  of  the 
salt. 

16.  After  watching  the  cattle  for  awhile,  Frank 
and  John  rode  away  for  a  gallop  around  the  fence. 
It    was    a  ride  of  seventeen   miles,  following  the 
wire   fence   around   the   pasture,   and    they    were 


144  THE    WORLD    AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

tired  enough  to  be  ready  for  dinner  on  their  re- 
turn. 

17.  Mr.    Gary    returned    to    San    Antonio   that 
day,  but  the  boys  begged  to   stay ;  so    they  were 
left  at  the  ranch  for  a  week.     It  was  a  week  full 
of  interest   to   the  Northern  boy. 

18.  He  killed  the  first  rattlesnake  he  had  ever 
seen.     He  watched   the  antics  of  the  queer  little 
praying  mantis,  and  saw  several  tarantulas.     He 
tore    his    clothes    on   the   thorny  bushes   by  the 
creek,  and  rode  the  wild  mustang  without  being 
thrown. 

19.  It  was   the    most  exciting   moment  of   his 
life,  when  he  saw  one  of   the  men  shoot  a  deer 
on    a    wooded   plain    twenty   miles    distant   from 
the  ranch-house,  where   they  rode  one   day  after 
game. 

20.  On  another  day,  they  visited  a  neighbor's 
sheep-ranch,  and  saw  a  flock  of  a  thousand  sheep 
feeding  on  the  prairie  grass.     At  the  end  of  the 
week   they  returned  to   town,  but  Frank  said  he 
liked  staying  at  the  ranch  much  better  than  stay- 
ing in  San  Antonio. 

21.  The   parks  in  the   Texan  cities  are  called 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  145 

plazas.     This  word,  like  ranch,  the  word  for  farm, 
comes  from  the  Spanish  language,  which  is  spoken 
by  the  Mexican  people.     Texas  once  belonged  to 
Mexico  instead  of  to  our  country. 
Austin  is  the  capital  of  the  state. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 
NEW   ORLEANS. 

1.  One   of    the   most   interesting  cities   in  our 
country  is  built  on  land  so  low  that  great  banks, 
called  levees,  are  made  almost  all  around,  to  keep 
out  the  waters  of  the  river,  which  nearly  surrounds 
it.     This  is  the  Mississippi  River. 

2.  In    New    Orleans   we    are    only   about    one 
hundred    miles    from    the   mouth   of    this   great 
river.      It    is     a   river    of    many   twistings    and 
windings,  and  we   find  that  here   it  has  made  a 
big  bend  in  shape  like  a  crescent,  or  new  moon, 
so  that  the  land  on  which  the  city  is   built   fol- 
lows  the   line   of    the     crescent.      New    Orleans 
is  often  called  the  Crescent  City. 

3.  One  of   the  first  things  you  wish  to  see  in 


146 


THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


GLIMPSES   OF   NEW   ORLEANS. 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  147 

New  Orleans  is  the  way  the  city  is  protected  from 
the  great  broad  river.  Most  cities  built  on  river 
banks  are  on  land  much  higher  than  the  stream, 
often  on  bluffs  and  hills,  as  at  Cincinnati,  or 
Savannah. 

4.  But   New  Orleans   has  grown   into  a  large 
city  on  this   low  land,  because  it  was  necessary 
that  there  should  be  a  city  near  the  mouth   of 
the  Mississippi,  and  there  was  no  high  land  for 
the  city's  site. 

5.  Standing  on  top  of  the  high  bank  along  the 
river,  you  can  see  why  it  was  built,  and  why  it  is 
necessary   to    keep    the    levee    strong    and   firm. 
Sometimes  there  is  a  rise  of   water  in  the  river 
during  spring  freshets,  and  the  city  is  overflowed. 
It  would  be  much  worse  were  it  not  for  the  levees. 
Far  away  to  the  southeast,  you  can  see  the  river, 
as  it  goes  on  towards  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

6.  Such  quantities  of  earth  are  brought  down 
by  the  river  that  it  used  to  be  very  difficult  at 
times  for  steamers  to  get  over  the  bar  formed  by 
the  sediment  at  the  place  where  the  river  flows  into 
the  Gulf.     Often  the  water  would  be  too  shallow 
on  the  bar  for  large  steamers  to  enter. 


148  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

7.  But  pier-like  projections,  called  jetties,  have 
been  built  at  the  south  entrance  of  the  Mississippi, 
in  a  way  to  keep  it  from  filling  up.     There  are 
two    entrances    to    the    Mississippi.      The    land 
between  is  called  a  delta. 

8.  Of  course  you  cannot  see  the  delta  from  your 
place  on  the  levee  at  New  Orleans,  but  you  can 
imagine  how  the  great  river  finds  its  way  on  to 
the  salt  water. 

9.  There  are  always  fine  ocean   steamers   and 
sailing  vessels  to  be  seen  from  the  levee,  for  New 
Orleans  has  a  great  deal  of  commerce  with  foreign 
countries.     Enormous  quantities  of  cotton  from  all 
the  surrounding  states  are  sent  away  on  the  ships 
which   you    see    going   down   towards   the   Gulf. 
Others  are  loaded  with  sugar,  molasses,  corn,  and 
tobacco. 

10.  You   may  be  certain  that  the  water-casks 
of  all  these  sea-going  vessels  have  been  filled  with 
water  from   the    Mississippi   before   leaving  New 
Orleans.      Sea-captains  say  that  this  river  water 
clears  itself,  and  remains  sweet  and  fresh  in  the 
tanks  of  vessels  longer  than  other  water. 

11    The  people  of  New  Orleans  use  the  river 


OUR  OWN   COUNTRY.  149 

water  in  their  homes,  although  many  people  like 
also  to  drink  rain-water,  which  is  caught  and  pre- 
served, in  the  old  part  of  the  town,  in  big  cisterns. 

12.  You  will  enjoy  a  walk  through  the  old  part 
of  the  city  when  you  come  down  from  your  post  of 
look-out  on  the  levee.     Long  ago  this  part  of  our 
country  was  owned  by  the  French,  and  the  French 
language  is  still  spoken  by  many  of   the  people. 
You   hear  a  lively  chatter  of   French  when  you 
reach  the  open  market-place.     You  hear  Italian, 
too,  and  Spanish,  as  well  as  our  English  tongue. 

13.  Here  are  men,  women,  and  children,  selling 
fruits  and  vegetables  and  beautiful  flowers.     Buy 
a  little  bunch  of  roses,  and  come  for  a  stroll  past 
the  high  garden  walls  which  shut  in  many  of  the 
homes  from  the  street.   • 

14.  Sometimes,  through  one  of  the  wide,  door- 
like  gates,  you  catch  a  glimpse  of  flower  gardensv 
or  of  children  at  play  in  a  shady  court,  or  of  a 
lady  looking  from  a  window  through  a  honeysuckle 
vine. 

15.  All  sorts  of  sights  may  be  seen  in  the  old 
city,  —  old  men  selling  fruit  from  wheelbarrows, 
and  old  women  sweeping  the  sidewalk  in  front  of 


150  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

their  little  shops.  Boys  and  girls,  white,  black, 
and  brown,  are  everywhere,  and  often  they  are 
playing  in  the  streets,  in  the  sunshine. 

16.  In  the  business  part  of  the  city  you  see 
broader  streets  and  finer  buildings,  but  you  will 
always  remember  the  old  city  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

UP   THE   MISSISSIPPI. 

1.  We   have   had   glimpses    of    the    Mississippi 
River  several  times  in  earlier  journeys.     Now  we 
are  going  to  follow  the  great  river  up  to  its  source. 
We  go  on  board  a  steamer  at  New  Orleans  on  a 
pleasant  morning,  and  ride  away  to  the  westward, 
with  the  rich  vegetation  of  Louisiana  on  both  sides 
of  the  stream. 

2.  Above  New  Orleans  is  the  beautiful  country 
of     which      Longfellow     wrote      in      Evangel  ine. 
Going    up   the"   stream,    you   come   to    the    place 
where    "  sweeps    with    majestic    course   the   river 
away  to   the  eastward." 

3.  On  both  sides  of   the  river,  all  the  way  up 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  151 

through  Louisiana,  are  lakes  and  bayous,  opening 
from  the  main  stream.  When  Evangeline  and  the 
people  with  her  rowed  out  upon  one  of  these 
bayous,  — 

"  Over  their  heads  the  towering  and  tenebrous  boughs  of 

the  cypress 

Met  in  a  dusky  arch,  and  trailing  mosses  in  mid-air 
Waved  like  banners  that  hang  on  the  walls  of  ancient 

cathedrals. 
Lovely  the  moonlight  was,  as  it  glanced  and  gleamed  on 

the  water, 
Gleamed  on  the  columns  of  cypress  and  cedar  sustaining 

the  arches." 

4.  As  the  oarsmen  of  Evangeline's  boat  rowed 
along  in  the  night,  one  of  them  blew  a  blast  on 
his  bugle,  so  that  if  there  were  other  people  out 
upon  the  bayou,  they  would  hear  and  guide  their 
boat  so  that  neither  would  run  upon  the  other  in 
the  darkness. 

5.  The    blast   of    the    bugle    only   awoke    the 
echoes,  and  then  the  boatmen  began  to  sing ;  and 
nothing  was  heard  on  the  silent  water  under  the 
overhanging  trees  but  "the  whoop  of   the   crane 
and  the  roar  of  the  grim  alligator." 


152  THE   WORLD    AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

6.  At    noon    next    day,  Evangeline's    boat  was 
in    a   place,  where,  in   the   broad  daylight,  many 
lovely  things  could  be  seen, — 

"  Water-lilies  in  myriads  rocked  on  the  slight  undulations, 
Made  by  the  passing  oars,  and  resplendent  in  beauty,  the 

lotus 

Lifted  her  golden  crown  above  the  heads  of  the  boatmen. 
Faint  was  the  air  with  the  odorous  breath  of   magnolia 

blossoms, 

And  with  the  heat  of  noon ;  and  numberless  sylvan  islands, 
Fragrant  and  thickly  embroidered  with  blossoming  hedges 

of  roses, 

Near  to  whose  shores  they  glided  along,  invited  to  slum- 
ber." 

7.  You  may  wish  to  sleep,  too,  for  a  little  time 
after  luncheon,  but  your  nap  will  be  a  short  one. 
Your  eyes  are  wide  open  to  see  all  that  you  are 
passing.     You    see    fields  of    sugar-cane    on  both 
sides  of  the  river  stretching  away  as  far  as  your 
eye  can  reach. 

8.  Near  the  .river  are  trees  and  vines,  but  not  a 
rock    nor  a  large  stone   is   anywhere  to  be  seen. 
You   pass  an  island  now  and  then,  on  the  side 
where  the  current  flows  less  swiftly. 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  153 

9.  After   a  time  you  pass  by  a  place  where  a 
large  stream,  the  Red  River,  flows  into  the  Missis- 
sippi.    You  observe  that  its  water  is  darker  than 
that   of    the    great   river,   and   looks    almost   red 
before  the  waters  mingle. 

10.  This  is  because  at  some  distance  back  from 
its  mouth  it  flows  through  dark  red  clay  ground 
which  crumbles  off  into  the  water  and  colors  it 
and  so  gives  the  Red  River  its  name. 

11.  The    steamer    stops    at    a    wooden    wharf. 
Numbers  of  people,  many  of  them  colored  people, 
are  waiting  to  see  the  steamer.     There  is  a  gen- 
tleman  with    a   wide-brimmed    soft   hat,    and    a 
satchel  in  his  hand.     He  is  a  planter  from  one  of 
the   river   counties   of    Mississippi,  and   is   going 
up  to  Memphis  on  business. 

12.  This  is  Natchez,  and  it  is  in  the  state  of 
Mississippi.     We  cannot  see  all  the  town  from  the 
wharf.     There    is  a  high  bluff  rising   up  a  little 
way  back  from  the  river.     The  business  houses  in 
the  town  under  the  hill  we  can  see  from  the  boat. 

13.  Going  on  up  the  river,  after   the   steamer 
starts  again,  you  may  look  back  and  see  that  there 
are  houses  and  churches,  and  a  fine  park  on  the 


154  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

bluff.     This  upper  town  is   called  Natchez-on-the- 
Hffl. 

14.  Vicksburg  is  the  next  city  at  which  we  stop. 
It  is  also  in  the  state  of  Mississippi,  and  it  is  not 
a  long  ride  by  train  from  Vicksburg  to  Jackson, 
the  capital  of  the  state.     At  Vicksburg  casks  and 
barrels  are  loaded  upon  the  steamer,  and  we  are 
told  that  it  is  cotton-seed  oil. 

15.  You   remember  that   the    seed  is  separated 
from    the    cotton   by    the    cotton-gins,    and    large 
quantities    of    oil,  used  for    various  purposes,  are 
made   from  the  seeds.     Some  people  like  cotton- 
seed oil  for  use  in  cookery. 

16.  We    have    now    come   four    hundred    miles 
from  New  Orleans.     We  are  more  than  five  hun- 
dred miles  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  yet  we  have 
scarcely   begun    our    journey.       Our    first    boat- 
journey    on  the  Potomac,  long  as   it  seemed,  was 
not   so  long  as  this  one  has  been  already.     You 
begin  to  realize  that  the  Mississippi  is  a  very  large 
river,  do  you  not  ?      The    Indians   called   it  the 
Father  of  Waters. 

17.  One  of  the  great  branches  of  the  Missis- 
sippi  is  the  Arkansas  River,  which  flows  down 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  155 

through  the   state  of   Arkansas.      The  capital  of 
the  state,  Little  Rock,  is  on  its  banks. 

18.  Not  far  from  Little  Rock,  in  the  mountains, 
are    the    famous    Hot   Springs.      There  are    more 
than    fifty  of    these    springs    on   the  slope    of  a 
mountain ;  and  invalids  come  great  distances  for 
the  benefit  which  they  obtain  from  these  waters. 

19.  In  the  Ozark  Mountains  further  north  are 
the  Eureka  Springs.     The  water  of  these  springs 
is  cold  and  pure,  and  the  town  is  very  picturesque. 
Standing  on  the  piazza  of  a  hotel  on  the  mountain 
side  at  Eureka,  you  can  look  over  a  pretty  valley 
to  the  great  pine  forests  beyond.     Deer  are  still 
plentiful  in  the  Ozark  forests. 

20.  The  next  city  we  see,  on  our  journey  up 
the  Mississippi  above  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas, 
is  Memphis.     There  is  a  good  deal  of  smoke  rising 
above  Memphis,  and  from  the  steamer  we  can  see 
many  large  chimneys ;    so   you   can  easily   guess 
that  there  are  a  good  many   mills  and  factories 
here. 

21.  This    is    the    largest    city    between    New 
Orleans  and  St.  Louis,  a  distance  of  nearly  twelve 
hundred  miles ;  and  there  is  no  other  city  for  a 


156  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS  PEOPLE. 

thousand  miles  east  or  west  of  Memphis  that  is  as 
large ;  so  you  see  it  has  a  great  deal  of  business  to 
manage,  —  cotton  and  molasses  to  buy  and  send 
away,  and  all  sorts  of  things  to  make  or  to  im- 
port from  the  North.  The  lovely  lawns  around 
many  of  the  homes  in  Memphis  form  one  of  tbe 
chief  beauties  of  the  city,  especially  as  they  are 
green  all  the  year  round. 

22.  On    goes    our  steamboat,  up  the  mile-wide 
river,  on   and   on.     We  pass  the  shores  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  we  stop  at  Cairo,  in  Illinois,  where  the 
broad  Ohio  flows  into  the  great  river. 

23.  It    was    here    that   Evangeline's   boat   first 
began  its   southward  journey.      We  can   imagine 
it  floating  by  us,  as  it  comes  down  past  the  Ohio 

shore  and  out  — 

i 

"Into  the   golden  stream  of  the  broad  and  swift  Missis- 
sippi." 

24.  We  can  think  that  the  people  on  a  steamer 
we  pass  are  going  to  see  all  that  Evangeline  saw, 
and  all  that  our   journey  has  showed   us  so  far, 
of  plume-like  islands,  silvery  sand-bars,  the  houses 
of  planters,  negro-cabins,  and  dove-cots. 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  157 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 
ST.    LOUIS   AND   NORTHWARD. 


AT  ST.   LOUIS. 

1.  Above  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  River  we  find 
ourselves   in  the   corn   region  again.     East  of  us 
are  the  prairies  of  Illinois,  and  west  of  us  are  the 
lowlands  and  the  hills  of  Missouri. 

2.  St.  Louis,  the  largest  city  in  Missouri,  and 
one  of  the  largest  cities  of  our  country,  is  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Mississippi.     Our  steamboat  goes 
under  a  long  bridge,  one  of  the  finest  bridges  in  the 
world,  which  is  built  across  the  Mississippi  at  St. 
Louis.     There    are  both  a  railroad  bridge  and  a 
carriage  bridge.     We  can  stop  over  in  St.  Louis 
until  the  next  steamer  for  the  North  comes,  and 
walk  over  this  great  bridge,  and  see  many  pleasant 
sights  in  the  city. 


158  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

3.  The   public  buildings  in  St.  Louis  are  large 
and  handsome,  and  you  will  enjoy  a  ride  on  the 
street-cars  through  the  broad  and  pleasant  streets 
where   the   homes   of    the  people  are  built.     You 
must  go  to  visit  the  parks  and  the  fine  botanical 
gardens. 

4.  You   must   see    the    statues,   the   fountains, 
and    the    grain   warehouses   of    St.    Louis ;    and 
whether  you  wish  it  or  not,  you  will  see  clouds  of 
black  smoke  from  the  chimneys  of   the  factories, 
where  soft  coal,  a  fuel  that  makes  a  great  deal  of 
smoke,  is  burned. 

5.  There  is  one  great  station  where  trains  from 
East  and  West,  North  and  South,  enter.     You  may 
see  cars  in   the   Union   Depot,  marked   for  New 
York  or  San  Francisco,  Boston  or  New  Orleans. 
St.   Louis   is   about   as   far   south  as  Washington, 
although  it  is,  of  course,  many  hundred  miles  west 
of  the  capital  of  our  country. 

6.  It  is  far  enough  south,  you  see,  for  the  fruit 
trees    to    blossom,    and    the    grass    to    be    green 
early  in    the    spring ;    and    the    country  is  like  a 
garden  much  earlier  than  in  the  North.     Corn  and 
sugar-cane  from  the  farms  of  Missouri,  lead  and 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  159 

iron  from  the  mines  in  the  Missouri  hills,  and  fruit 
and  vegetables  from  the  market  gardens  outside 
the  city,  —  all  find  a  market  here. 

7.  Jefferson  is  the  capital  of  Missouri.     It  is  on 
the  Missouri  River,  west  of  St.  Louis. 

8.  Twenty  miles  up  the  Mississippi,  above  St. 
Louis,  a  broad  yellow  river  flows  into  the  Missis- 
sippi.    As  we  go  up  the  stream  from  St.  Louis  on 
our  steamboat,  we  see  that  the  water  of  the  river, 
which  has  been  far  from  clear  all  the  way  up  from 
New  Orleans,  grows  more  and  more  yellow.     We 
know  the  cause  of   this  when  we  see  the  broad 
flood  of   the  Missouri,  pouring  its  yellow  waters 
down  into  the  stream. 

9.  The    Missouri    is    a    very    wide    and    long 
river,  wider  and  longer  than   any  other  river  in 
the  country,  except  the  river  into  which  it  flows. 
The  reason  that  the  water  of  the  Missouri  is  so 
yellow  may  be  found  in  the  color  of  the  clay  banks 
through  which  the  river  runs  for  many  hundred 
miles. 

10.  It  is  a  very  soft  sort  of  earth,  and  crumbles 
readily  into  the  water.     The  banks  of  the  Missouri 
change  their  shape  very  often  because  they  are 


160  THE  WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

so  soft.  This  is  quite  different  from  the  course 
of  rivers  that  force  their  way  through  a  rocky 
country. 

11.  A  corn  farm  bordering  on  the  Missouri  may 
gain  or  lose  an  acre  of  ground  by  the  river  in  the 
course  of  a  year  or  two.     For  sometimes  the  river 
piles  up  clay  sediment  on  one  side,  when  it  crum- 
bles and  washes  it  away  on  the  other  side  of  the 
current  further  up  the  stream. 

12.  There  is  a  large  and  growing   city  called 
Kansas  City  on  the  Missouri  River  in  the  western 
part    of   the    state.      There    are    many   handsome 
public    buildings   and    beautiful  homes  in  Kansas 
City.     It  is  a  city  built  on  bluffs  of  the  river,  and 
the  cable-cars  go  up  and  down  very  steep  hills. 

13.  As  we  go  on  up  the  Mississippi,  above  the 
mouth  of  the  Missouri,  we  see  that  the  water  is 
pure  and  clear.     We  are  above  the  clayey  region. 
The    Illinois    River,   the    Des    Moines    River,   and 
other  streams  bring  clear  water  down  to  the  broad 
stream   upon   which   we    are   sailing.      Near   the 
mouth  of  the  Des  Moines  there  are  rapids  in  the 
Mississippi. 

14.  We  may  go  ashore  at  Keokuk,  a  town  in 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  161 

Iowa,  and  take  another  steamer  above  the  rapids 
for  St.  Paul.  The  trees  on  the  banks  and  on 
islands  in  the  river  are  poplars  and  hickories 
instead  of  cypress  and  live  oak. 

15.  We  no  longer  see  the  long  gray  moss  that 
hung  on  the  Southern  trees,  but  rich  green  moss  on 
the  ground  about  the  trunks  of  the  trees.     High 
bluffs,  wooded  prairies,  and  rolling  fields  of  oats, 
wheat,  and  barley  are  to  be  seen  on  the  shores. 

16.  We  see   several    railroad   bridges    over  the 
river,  as  we    steam   on    day  after  day.     One    of 
these  great  bridges  crosses  the  Mississippi  at  Rock 
Island.     This  bridge  is  in  two  divisions,  connected 
by  the  track,  laid  across  the  island  in  the  middle 
of  the  river. 

17.  There  is  an  arsenal  on  the  island,  and  you 
can  see  the  soldiers  and  the  cannon  as  you  pass 
by.     It  is  often  cold  enough  in  winter  to  freeze 
the  stream  here,  and  people  go  skating  and  sleigh- 
ing upon  the  ice.     Davenport  in  Iowa  and  Rock 
Island  in  Illinois  are  the  towns  connected  by  this 
great  railroad  bridge. 

18.  Dubuque  in  Iowa,  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
river,  is  the  next  city  in  importance  that  we  visit. 


162  THE  WORLD  AND    ITS    PEOPLii. 

All  around  us,  for  a  long  way,  in  the  States  of 
Iowa,  Wisconsin,  and  Illinois,  across  the  river, 
there  are  great  lead  mines.  The  lead  is  brought 
into  Dubuque  for  sale  and  shipment. 

19.  Lead  mining  is  much  easier  work  than  iron 
or   coal    mining,   as    lead  is  often  found  in  small 
masses   on   or   near   the   surface    of   the  ground. 
Boys  often  find  the  lead,  and  there  is  a  good  deal 
of   rivalry  among   the   boys   of  this  part  of  the 
country  in  this  way  of  earning  money  for  Christ- 
mas or  the  Fourth  of  July. 

20.  At  the  wharf  we  see  people  busy  at  work  in 
and  about  the  warehouses  and  the  grain  elevators. 
The  streets  of  Dubuque  are  terraced  off,  one  above 
another,  on  the  high  bluffs  above  the  river.     If  it 
is  at  night  that  we  see  this  pretty  city,  we  shall 
not  soon  forget  the  shining  of  the  rows  of  lights 
on  the  river  and  their  reflection  in  the  water,  like 
bright  stars. 

21.  Several  hours'  ride  above  Dubuque   is  the 
mouth   of '  the   Wisconsin    River.     La   Crosse,  in 
the  State  of  Wisconsin,  is  another  pretty  city  on 
the  river.     Do  you   remember  that   our  steamer 
stopped  at  Milwaukee  on  the  coast  of  Lake  Michi- 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  163 

gan,  on  our  journey  from  Buffalo  to  Chicago, 
around  the  lakes  ?  Milwaukee  is  in  the  eastern 
part  of  Wisconsin.  Madison,  the  capital  of  the 
state,  is  in  a  beautiful  country,  west  of  Milwaukee. 

22.  We  enter  the  wheat  country.     There  have 
been  wheat  fields  near  the  river,  now  and  then, 
for   a   long   distance ;    but    not   nearly   so   much 
wheat  grows  in  any  other  state  on  the  river  as  in 
Minnesota.     At  every  town  where  we  stop,  as  at 
Winona  and  at  Red  Wing,  we  see  wheat  and  flour 
in  barrels  and  bags. 

23.  Just  before  coming  to  Red  Wing,  the  river 
broadens  out  into  a  beautiful  lake.     This  is  Lake 
Pepin.      As   our   steamer   goes    over   the   smooth 
water  just  at  sunset,  we  can  scarcely  realize  that 
the  current  of  the  river  is  swift  above  and  below 
these  quiet  waters.      Our  boat  makes  ripples  of 
white  as  it  goes  onward ;  but  at  a  very  little  dis- 
tance the  water  is  perfectly  motionless. 

24.  You  hear  the  loud  whistle  of  an  engine ; 
and  looking  across  the  lake,  you  see  a  train  rush- 
ing along  a  railroad  track,  close  to  the  water's 
edge.      It  is  in  sight   for  a  few  moments,  then 
turns  round  a  wooded  curve,  and  is  gone. 


164  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
MINNESOTA  AND   THE   DAKOTAS. 

1.  After  our  next  week  of  travel  up  the  river 
from  New  Orleans,  we  are  glad  to  reach  St.  Paul. 
This  pleasant  city  is  the  capital  of  Minnesota,  and 
the  large  steamboats  can  go  no  further  up  the 
river.     The  falls  of  St.  Anthony  are  a  few  miles 
above  St.   Paul,  and   the  city  of   Minneapolis   is 
built  beside  the  falls  on  both  banks  of  the  river. 

2.  The  Mississippi  is  much   narrower  here,  as 
you   may  well   imagine,  than   it   is   away   down 
stream  below  where  it  has  been  fed  by  other  large 
rivers.     But  it  is  even  here  a  most  useful  river. 
The  waters  of  the  falls  of  St.  Anthony  have  made 
flour  from  wheat  in  the  flouring  mills  of  Minne- 
apolis for  many  years. 

3.  Both  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis  have  grown 
so  fast  since  1880  that  they  are  now  almost  like 
one   large    city.      Between   them  is  a  fine   park, 
with  beautiful  drives  and  promenades,  and  at  the 
famous  falls  of   Minnehaha,  about  midway,  there 
is  a  charming  rocky  glen. 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  165 

4.  Both  cities  are  picturesque;  for  both  are  built 
on    the    bluffs   above    the    river.      The    countrj- 
round  about  has  many  lovely  lakes   and  wooded 
drives.      From    a    distance     you     can     see     the 
spires  of   churches,  the  college  buildings,  and   the 
tall  grain  elevators  where  millions  of  bushels  of 
wheat  are  stored. 

5.  Minnesota,  like  the  states  west  of  it,  North 
Dakota  and   South  Dakota,  is  celebrated  for   its 
great  wheat  fields.     Some  of  these  fields  are  larger 
than  the  big  pasture  on  the  Texas  ranch,  of  which 
we  have  already  spoken. 

6.  In  Dakota,  there  are  fields  of  wheat  so  large 
that  you  could  follow  the  reaper  in  one  direction 
a  full  half  day  before  it  would  turn  to  cut  the  next 
swath  of   grain.     Wheat  grows  on  almost  all  of 
the  smaller  farms,  too ;  so  you  see  where  a  good 
deal  of  the  flour  for  bread  comes  from. 

7.  The  Missouri  River  flows  down  through  the 
central  part  of  both  Dakotas,  and  along  its  upper 
waters   are   many  vast  cattle  ranges.      But   it   is 
cold  for  the  cattle  that  run  out  of  doors  all  winter. 

8.  The  winter  weather  in  these  new  Northern 
states  is  very  severe ;  cold,  blinding  storms  of  snow, 


166 


THE   WORLD    AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


A   DAKOTA  WHEAT   FIELD. 


called  blizzards,  come  down  upon  the  great  plains, 
and  in  them  people  and  animals  often  lose  their 
lives  when  away  from  shelter. 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  167 

9.  In  St.  Paul  the  biting  cold  is  made  a  source 
of   pleasure.     A  great  "ice  palace"  is  built  every 
winter,  and  it  is  a  fine   sight  whether  glittering  in 
the  sunshine  by  day,  or  in  the  electric  light  by 
night. 

10.  Sleigh-bells   make   the  winter   merry;    and 
as   the  air   is  very  dry  and   light,  people  do  not 
mind  the  cold  so  much  as  in  places  where  there  is 
more  dampness  in  the  cold  air,  as  is  the  case  on 
the  sea-shore,  or  the  shores  of  the  great  lakes. 

11.  Lake  Superior  is  northeast  of  Minnesota.     It 
is  one  of  the  great  lakes  which  we  did  not  see  on 
our  journey  from  Buffalo  to  Chicago.     It  is  the 
largest  of  all  the  great  lakes,  —  much  larger  than 
either  Lake  Michigan  or  Lake  Huron,  and  twice 
as  large  as  Lake  Erie  and  Lake  Ontario  together. 

12.  If   the   States  of   Massachusetts   and  Con- 
necticut were    islands   in   this   great   inland    sea, 
nearly  two-thirds  of  its  blue  waters  would  still  be 
left  about  the  islands  to  reflect  the  sky. 

13.  Its  shores  are  broken  by  many  grand  cliffs, 
and  people  travel  long  distances  to  see  the  high 
walls  of  red  sandstone,  called  the  Pictured  Rocks, 
on  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Superior. 


168  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

14.  In  Longfellow's  Hiawatha  you  may  read 
many  wonderful  stories  of  the  land  near  Gitchee 
Gumee,  the  shining  "big  sea-water/'  as  the 
Indians  called  Lake  Superior.  You  can  read  how 
Hiawatha  went  fishing  on  the  lake  all  alone  in  his 
birch  canoe. 

15.      "  Through  the  clear  transparent  water 
He  could  see  the  fishes  swimming 
Far  down  in  the  depths  below  him ; 
Saw  the  yellow  perch,  the  Sahwa, 
Like  a  sunbeam  in  the  water, 
Saw  the  Shawgashee,  the  craw-fish, 
Like  a  spider  on  the  bottom, 
On  the  white  and  sandy  bottom." 

16.  Hiawatha   wished  to  catch  a  'sturgeon,   so 
when  the  pike  and  the  sun-fish  came  to  his  bait, 
he  shouted  to  them  to  go  away,  for  he  could  see 
the  sturgeon  "  fanning  slowly  in  the  water."    When 
you  read  the  story  you  will  learn  what  happened 
when  at  last  the  big  fish  came  up  to  the  surface. 

17.  Enormous  sturgeon  are  found  in  Lake  Su- 
perior.    .You   can   see   them   in   the   markets    of 
Duluth,  a  city  at  the  head  of  the  lake.     Duluth 
is  not  far  from  rich  copper  mines  near  the  shores 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  169 

of  the  lake.  The  eastern  end  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad,  which  extends  across  Dakota  and 
still  westward  across  the  Northern  states  of  our 
country  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  is  at  Duluth. 

18.  Let    us    enter   a    train  on    this  railroad  at 
Daluth,  for  a  short  ride  through  fine  forests,  past 
tamarack    swamps    and    fields    of   wheat,    to   the 
town   of    Brainerd.     Here   we  are  once   more   at 
the  Mississippi   River,  now  a  clear  stream  much 
narrower  than  when  we    saw  it   at   Minneapolis, 
a  hundred  miles  south. 

19.  At  Brainerd  we  will  get  into  a  good  row- 
boat,   and    row    away  to    the   north   to    find   the 
source   of  the  Mississippi.     The  river  grows  nar- 
rower and  narrower  as  we  go  on. 

20.  By  and  by  we  enter  a  beautiful,  clear,  little 
lake,  then  another,  and  still  another,  as  our  boat 
goes  on  through  the  narrow  streams. 

21.  Wild   ducks  in  great  numbers  fly  over  our 
heads.     On  the  shores  of  one  of  the  lakes  we  see 
several  deer,  which  look  at  us  shyly  before  they 
bound  away  into  the  forest. 

22.  It  takes  us  several  days  to  go  through  the 
chain  of   lakes  which    lead  to  the   one  we  have 


170  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

come  so  far  to  see.  On  the  shores  of  Lake 
Itasca  we  at  last  eat  our  dinner  of  broiled  fish, 
thinking  that  this  very  fish  lived  but  yesterday 
in  the  water  before  us,  some  of  whose  drops  will 
find  their  way  to  the  salt  water  of  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  nearly  three  thousand  miles  away. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 
FROM  DAVENPORT   TO   DENVER. 

1.  You   remember    passing   the   city  of  Daven- 
port  on  the  Mississippi   River    at    Rock    Island. 
We  will  bid  good  by  to   the   Father   of  Waters 
there,  and  take  a  train  for  places  still  farther  west. 
All  day  long  we  shall  be  riding  over  the  rolling 
prairies  of  Iowa.     You  cannot  see  as  far  on  these 
rolling   prairies   as   you   can   on   those  where  no 
swell  of  ground   breaks  the  landscape. 

2.  You  would  not  find  much  difference  between 
Iowa   and    Illinois,  were  it  not  that  the    prairie- 
lands  here  are  not  usually  so  flat  as  those  in  Illi- 
nois.    But  you  see  fields  of  corn  and  of  oats,  as  in 
Illinois.     Cattle  roam  over  the  great  pastures,  and 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  171 

there  are   beautiful   orchards  of   apples    and    fine 
gardens  in  and  about  the  towns  that  you  pass. 

3.  Des  Homes,  the  capital  of   Iowa,  is  one  of 
the  cities  we  see  on  this  journey.     It  is  a  bright, 
busy  city,  situated  on  the  largest  river  in  Iowa, 
the  Des  Moines  River.     Council  Bluffs  is  on  the 
bluffs   above  the  Missouri  River,  in   the  western 
part  of  the  state.     Here  is  a  great  railroad  bridge, 
and  the  trains  of  many  railroads  from  every  direc- 
tion  cross  the  river  between   Council   Bluffs   and 
Omaha. 

4.  After  crossing   the  Missouri,  we  are  in   the 
State  of   Nebraska.      Omaha  is  the  largest  city, 
and  from  the  bluffs  on  which  it  is  built,  we  can 
see  a  long  distance  over  the  prairies  which  stretch 
away  to  the  westward. 

5.  The    Platte   River    flowing   from   the   west, 
£omes  all  the  way  across  the  state.     When  men 
first    began  to  cross    the   plains  to    California    in 
wagons,  they  always  drove  along  the  banks  of  the 
Platte  River ;    for  here  they  were  sure  of  finding 
food  for  their  horses  and  oxen. 

6.  There    were    no    railroads    in    this   part   of 
the   country  then,  and    no    towns.     All  of   these 


172  THE  WORLD    AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

pretty  towns  have   grown  up  since  the  railroads 
were  built  west  of  the  Missouri  River. 

7.  The  railroads   have  made  the  plains  of  Ne- 
braska neighbors  to  the  hills  of  Maine.     Whenever 
railroads  have  been  built  through  the  great  fertile 
plains    of    the  West,  towns  have    soon    appeared. 
Lincoln,  the    capital  of   Nebraska,  is  one   of   the 
pleasant  cities  on  our  way.     We  see  a  fine  Capitol 
building  of  white  stone,  which  reminds  us  of  the 
one  at  Washington,  although,  of  course,  it  is  not 
so  large. 

8.  A  party  of  people,  going  on  a  pleasure  jour- 
ney to  Colorado  Springs,  come  into  our  car  at  Lin- 
coln.    A  boy  in  the  party  can  tell   you   a   good 
many  interesting  things  about  this  country.     He 
has  never  seen  a  mountain,  he  says,  but  he  is  going 
to  see  one  now.     He  has  never  seen  any  trees  that 
were  not  planted,  except  cotton- wood  trees.    There 
are  many  "  tree  farms  "  on  these  plains. 

9.  The  government  has  given  lands  to  people 
who  would  plant  a  certain  number  of  trees  and 
take  cafe  of  them.     You  see  from  the  car  window 
groups  of  maples  and  poplars,  which  were  planted 
by  people  whom  he  knows. 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  173 

10.  The  towns  are  fewer  and  smaller,  and  it 
is  further  and  further  between  them,  as  wre  go 
on  west  of  Lincoln.     But  by  and  by  we  leave  the 
wide  plains  of  Nebraska.    We  are  approaching  the 
mountain  country  of  Colorado,   and  our  engines 
pull    our   train   up   the  long   grades   toward   the 
beautiful  city  of  Denver. 

11.  We  are  nearly  a  mile  higher  up  in  the  air 
here  than  in  any  city  we  have  yet  visited.     But 
we  should  not  think  of  this  unless  some  one  told 
us  ;  so  we  walk  about  the  broad,  handsome  streets, 
and  look  at  the  public  buildings  and  fine  homes. 

12.  This  city  has  grown  very  rapidly,  like  many 
of  the  large  Western  cities;  and  none  of  the  old 
people  who  live  there  now  were  born  in  Denver, 
because  there  was  no  town  there  at  all  when  they 
were  boys  and  girls. 

13.  Wherever   you   go    in   this    city   you  have 
beautiful  views  of   mountain  peaks    around  you. 
We  are  now  at  the  Rocky  Mountains.     Between  us 
and   the   Appalachian   Mountains   lies   the   great 
valley  of  the  Mississippi,  with  many  beautiful  rivers 
flowing  towards  it  from  the  mountains  on  the  east, 
and  from  those  on  the  west. 


174 


THE   WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  175 

14.  Away  to  the  south  we  can  see  a  high  moun- 
tain, with  snow  upon  its  summit.      It  is  Pike's 
Peak.     People  who  visit  Denver  sometimes  speak 
of  driving  over  to  the  mountain  in  the  morning, 
and  are  surprised  when  they  are  told  that  it  is 
seventy-five  miles  away. 

15.  The  air  is  very  clear  and  light,   and   the 
mountain    seems  very  much  nearer.     Boys  some- 
times feel  sure  that  they  could  walk  over  to  it, 
if  they  were  allowed  to  do  so. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

KANSAS  AND  THE   INDIAN  TERRITORY. 

1.  South  of  Nebraska  is  the  great  prairie  State 
of  Kansas.     If  you  were  to  go  from  Topeka,  the 
capital,  westward  to  Colorado,  you  would  go  over 
wide,  treeless   prairies,  as  in   Nebraska.     In   the 
western  part  of   the    state   there   are   plains   un- 
fenced  for  a  hundred  miles. 

2.  You  may  ride  for  hours,  and  not  see  a  fence 
nor  a  house.     But  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state, 
you  might  travel  about  in  a  country  which  looks 


176  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

much    like    Illinois,    or    Indiana,,  or    any    of    the 
northern  states  of  the  Mississippi  Valley. 

3.  Once  a  little  girl  whose  home  was  in  Maine 
was  taken  by  her  aunt  on  a  journey  to  California. 
She  had  promised  her  mother  to  send  a  postal  card 
home  every  day.     But  she  thought  all  of  the  coun- 
try looked  the  same,  and  there  was  nothing  to 
write.     "  It  looks  just  like  Maine,"  she  wrote  on 
her  postal  card  every  day  for  the  first  four  days. 

4.  When   she   was   near  Lawrence   in  Kansas, 
some  one  in  the  car  asked  her  if  she  did  not  think 
the   prairies   looked   different  from   Maine.      She 
said,  "  I  have  not  seen  any  prairies ;  nothing  but 
fields." 

5.  But   when    she    saw   the    great    plains    in 
Western  Kansas,  she  wrote  on  her  postal  card,  "  It 
isn't  a  bit  like  Maine.     I  can  look  away  forever 
and  ever,  and   see   no   fences."     Even    then   she 
was  disappointed,  because  she  saw  no  buffaloes  on 
the  plains.     They  have  all  been  killed  since  the 
railroads  were   built   in   every  direction  over  the 
country  where  they  used  to  roam. 

6.-  Leaven  worth    and   Atchison   are   two   other 
cities  of  Kansas,  both  in  the  northeastern  part  of 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  177 

the  state,  not  far  from  Kansas  City,  which  is  just 
over  the  boundary  in  Missouri. 

7.  The  Kansas  Emigrants  is  the  name  of  one 
of  Whittier's  poems,  which  boys  and  girls  in  the 
Kansas  schools  know  by  heart.  Here  are  three  of 
the  stanzas : — 

8.  "We  cross  the  prairie  as  of  old 

The  pilgrims  crossed  the  sea, 

To  make  the  West,  as  they  the  East, 

The  homestead  of  the  free ! 

9.  "We  go  to  plant  her  common  schools 

On  distant  prairie  swells, 

And  give  the  Sabbaths  of  her  wild 

The  music  of  her  bells. 

10.  "We'll  tread  the  prairie  as  of  old 
Our  fathers  sailed  the  sea, 
And  make  the  West,  as  they  the  East, 
The  homestead  of  the  free  !  " 

11.  In  the  southern  part  of  the  state,  coal  is 
found,  and  Indian  corn,  tall  and  abundant,  grows 
on  the  rich  lands  along  the  rivers.  Fort  Scott  is 
one  of  the  oldest  and  most  pleasant  towns  in  the 
state.  Not  far  from  Fort  Scott  you  enter  the 
Indian  Territory. 


178  THE  WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

12.  This  is  not  one  of  the  states,  nor  is  it  like 
some    other   territories   of   which  we   shall   read. 
It  is  a  country  owned  by  the  Indians.     Our  gov- 
ernment  at  Washington    set  apart  this  beautiful 
country,  larger   than   all   New  England,  for   the 
Indians.    Part  of  it  has  been  bought  of  the  Indians 
by  the  government ;  and  white  people  may  now 
own  lands  in  Oklahoma,  which  not  long  ago  be- 
longed to  the  Indians  exclusively. 

13.  It  is  a  very  rich  and  pretty  country  where 
the   Indians  live.     Many  sorts  of  delicious  fruits 
grow   wild   here.      The   raspberries,    blackberries, 
strawberries,  and   plums,  that   are   found  in   the 
woods,  are  not  so  large  as  the  cultivated  ones  you 
have   seen,  but   they  are  very  good   indeed,  and 
have  a  fine  flavor. 

14.  You  may  be  sure    a   Cherokee  boy  would 
think  you  very  foolish   if  you  preferred  the  big 
strawberries  of  the  gardens  to  the  sweet  little  wild 
ones  that  grow  on  the  sunny  sides  of  the  knolls. 

15.  There    are   no   large    cities   in    the   Indian 
country ;  but  in  the  parts  which  have  been  opened 
to  white  people,  there  are  a  number  of  new  and 
growing  towns  along  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad. 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  179 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
IN  THE   ROCKY   MOUNTAINS. 

1.  We  have  had   a   glimpse   of   one   mountain 
city,  beautiful  Denver,  with  its  fine  new  buildings 
and   handsome    streets.      Denver  is   in  Colorado, 
the  state  which  came  into  the  Union  in  1876,  and 
so  is  called  the  Centennial   State.     New  Mexico, 
south  of  Colorado,  has  not  yet  been  admitted  as 
a  state;    it  is  called  a  territory. 

2.  Santa  Fe,  the  capital  of  New  Mexico,  is  not 
one   of   the  fine  new  cities  of   the   West.      It  is 
interesting  because  it  is  old.      Long  before  there 
were  any  railroads  west  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
there  was  a  town  here,  built  by  people  who  came 
from  Mexico,  and  who  spoke  the  Spanish  language. 
Most  of  the  people  speak  Spanish  still ;  although 
since  the  railroad  was  built  up  to  the  old  town, 
people  from  Missouri  and  other  states  have  gone 
there  to  live. 

3.  We    will    take    a    short    drive    on   the    hill 
overlooking  the  town.     On  our  way,  we  meet  two 
or  three  boys  driving  a  pair  of  small  mules,  loaded 


180  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS  PEOPLE. 

with  great  panniers  of  wood.  This  is  the  way 
most  of  the  wood  used  in  the  town  is  brought  in 
from  the  forests  on  the  mountains. 

4.  From   our  outlook   on  the  hill,  we  can  see 
the  new  State  House  and  the  fine  new  Ramona 
School  for  Indian  boys  and  girls.     There  are  a 
few  fine  homes,  but  most  of  the  town  is  of  one- 
story  adobe  houses.     We  drive  back  to  the  plaza, 
or  public  square,  in  the  centre  of  the  town. 

5.  Let  us  go  down  that  narrow  street,  and  look 
at  the  queer,  picturesque   houses.     The    adobe  is 
a  sort  of  brick  dried  in  the  sun,  and  has  the  color 
of  dry  clay.     Many  of  the  houses  have  blue  doors, 
or  vines  growing  over  them,  so  that  they  do  not 
seem  to  be  all  of  the  same  color. 

6.  There  is  a  group  of  Mexican  children  at  play 
in   the    garden   beside   the   house.     You    see   the 
little  brown  things  swinging  under  the  cedar-trees. 
You  go  into  a  shop  where  all  sorts  of   odd  and 
interesting  trinkets,  made  by  Indians,  are  for  sale, 
and  an  Indian,  in  the   gayest  costume   possible, 
dances  and  sings  to  amuse   you.     You  go  up  to 
the  old  Spanish  Church,  and  see  a  bell  which  was 
made  in  Spain  hundreds  of  years  ago. 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY. 


181 


7.  The  people  in  New  Mexico  do  not  work  so 
hard  as  the  people  in  most  parts  of  our  country. 


IN   THE   ROCKY   MOUNTAINS. 


There  are  great  sheep  ranches  throughout  the  ter- 
ritory ;  and  although  there  are  a  few  good  farms, 


182  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

so  much  of  the  state  is  covered  by  mountains, 
hills,  and  dry  plains,  that  but  little  grain  and  fruit 
are  grown. 

8.  One  of   the  most  pleasant  places  in  all  the 
mountains    is   Las   Vegas,    where   there   are   hot 
springs.     You  will  not  find  the  water  hot  enough 
to  burn  your  mouth  when  you  taste  it ;  but  it  is 
hot  enough  to  cause  vapor  to  rise  from  the  dif- 
ferent   springs. 

9.  In  Colorado,  north  of  New  Mexico,  are  many 
beautiful   mountain   towns.      Manitou   and   Colo- 
rado Springs  are  much  visited  by  travellers.     The 
mountains  are  very  high  in  Colorado.     There  are 
about  two  hundred  very  high  peaks  in  the  state ; 
Pike's  Peak,  which  we  saw  from  Denver,  is  the 
most  famous.     The  mountain  ranges  in  Colorado 
enclose  three  great  plateaus  called  parks. 

10.  Of   course  they  are  larger  than  any  parks 
made  near  cities,  and  the  mountains  that  surround 
them  make  very  high  fences.     These  parks  have 
fertile  soil,  and  here  are  some  of  the  best  farms  in 
Colorado.    The  fruit  that  grows  on  these  highland 
farms  is  firm  and  fine,  and  the  cattle  and  sheep 
find  tender  wild  grasses  almost  all  the  year  round. 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  183 

11.  You  might  spend  the  entire  summer  travel- 
ling in  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  Colorado,  and  you 
would  not  see  all  the  beauties  of  the  scenery.     On 
the  narrow  gauge  railroad,  west  of  Denver,  there 
are    rocks    and    gorges,    mountain    heights    and 
lonely  valleys  to  be    seen,  more  wonderful    than 
it  is   possible   to  imagine.     The   Royal    Gorge  is 
famous  for  its  noble  scenery. 

12.  There   are  many  great  mines  of   gold  and 
silver   in    Colorado,  which   yield   millions  of  dol- 
lars every  year. 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
OUR  NATIONAL,  PARKS. 

1 .  The  new  state  of  Wyoming  is  north  of  Colo- 
rado. In  the  northwest  corner  of  Wyoming  is 
a  park  more  interesting  and  far  more  wonderful 
than  the  parks  of  Colorado.  This  is  the  Yellow- 
stone National  Park,  set  apart  by  the  government 
at  Washington  for  our  pleasure,  and  owned  by  all 
the  country.  As  this  park  belongs  to  the  nation, 
it  is,  of  course,  an  immense  one.  It  is  larger 
than  some  of  the  Eastern  states. 


184  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

2.  If    we    were    going    to    visit    the    wonderful 
Yellowstone  region,  we    should    go  on  a  railroad 
which  approaches  the  park  from  Montana,  another 
great  northern  state.       Our  train  takes  us  along 
the  banks  of  the  Yellowstone  River. 

3.  We  see  wild  ducks  on  the  shores  of  the  clear 
Water,  and  some  one  tells  us  that  the  river  is  full 
of  trout  and  grayling.      We  can  see  the  snow  on 
the  high  mountains  to  the  east,  and  on  the  west, 
low,  curiously  shaped  volcanic  domes  and  peaks. 

4.  At    the    village    of    Cinnabar,    near    a    high 
mountain  with  red  cliffs,  the  railroad  ends.     We 
must  go  up  the  river-bank  now  to  the  Mammoth 
Hot   Springs    in    a    stage-coach.     Here    we    begin 
to  see    the  wonders  of   the   Yellowstone  wonder- 
land.      On    four    terraces    are    the    fifty-twro    hot 
springs.     Over  these   terraces  the  water  falls   in 
little  brooks  and  cascades. 

5.  All  sorts  of  bright  and  lovely  colors  are  to 
be  seen  around  these  boiling  springs.     The  water 
itself  is  very  clear  and  transparent,  and  blue   as 
a  turquoise. 

6.  You   will   wish    to    gather   from    the    little 
streams  that  flow  from  the  boiling   springs  some 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  185 

of   the  silky  fibres  that  quiver  in  the  water,  like 
sea-mosses  in  a  pool  of  salt  water. 

7.  From   the  hotel  at   Mammoth  Hot    Springs 
we    go  up  to  the    geysers   in  mountain  wagons. 
Sometimes,   however,    people     prefer    to    go     on 
horseback.     Geysers  are  hot  springs  that  bubble, 
seethe,  and   throw  hot  water    in    great   columns 
into  the  air. 

8.  We  see  mud  springs  on  our  way,  and  a  dozen 
odd,  high  chimneys  of  old  geysers  which  are  no 
longer  active.     You  are  sure  to  notice  the  one  that 
looks  like  an  old  man  who  has  lost  his  head. 

9.  As  we  go  on,  we  find  springs  of  all  kinds, — 
hundreds  of  them.    You  are  soon  tired,  of  trying  to 
count  them.     But  the  wonder  of  wonders  appears 
when   you  first   see  a  geyser  throwing  a  column 
of   boiling  water  into   the   air  higher   than    any 
church  steeple  that  you  ever  saw.     All  around  the 
Excelsior  Geyser  is  a  wide  basin  of  boiling  water, 
and  the  streams  which  come  from  it  are  colored 
like  rainbows. 

10.  You  walk  to  the  Grand  Prismatic  Spring, 
not   far  from   the   Excelsior   Geyser,  and   in  the 
ground  you  see  a  big  basin  of  blue,  boiling  water, 


186 


THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


fading  into  green  around  the  sides.  There  is  a 
shallower  basin  around  this  one,  in  which  you  can 
count  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow. 


OLD    FAITHFUL. 


11.  We  have  now  only  begun  to  see  the  geysers. 
There  are  dozens  more  in  the  upper  Geyser  Basin. 
One  is  called  Old  Faithful,  because  it  sends  up  its 


OUR  OWN   COUNTRY.  187 

column  of   boiling  water  regularly  once  an  hour. 
The  eruption  lasts  about  five  minutes. 

12.  It    begins   with   a   few   bubbles,    but    soon 
boils  violently.     This  lasts  for  a  little  while  ;  then 
comes  a  puff,  and  up   goes   jet  after  jet,  with  a 
roar  like  thunder ;  and  the  steam  rushes  up  three 
times  as  high  as  the  hot  water. 

13.  The  Giantess  sends  forth  its  eruptions  about 
once  in  two  weeks.     People  sometimes  toss  hand- 
kerchiefs into  it  for  sport,  and  after  a  while  they 
are  tossed  out  again  by  the  bubbling  water ;  some- 
times torn. 

14.  There  are  many  other  wonderful  and  beau- 
tiful sights  to  be  seen  in  our  National  Park.     The 
Yellowstone    Falls   are   more   beautiful,   although 
not  so  grand,  as  Niagara. 

'  15.  You  will  understand,  as  you  go  up  the  Grand 
Canon  between  high  walls  of  rock,  why  this  is 
called  the  Yellowstone  country.  For  the  water, 
dripping  through  the  rocks,  has  given  them  in 
many  places  the  color  of  gold ;  although  you  will 
see  on  the  rocky  walls  and  columns  every  other 
color  of  the  rainbow,  all  rich  and  brilliant  as  the 
sunset  sky. 


188  THE  WORLD  AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

CHAPTER    XXIX. 
ACROSS   THE   DESERT. 

1.  The  prairies  and  the  plains  of   our  country 
have  become  well  known  to  us  in  earlier  chapters. 
You  have  seen  them  rich  with  farms  of  corn  and 
wheat ;  you  have  seen  numbers  of  cattle,  horses, 
and   sheep,    roaming   over   their   pastures.      You 
have   seen   many  rivers,  valleys,  mountains,  and 
cities.     Now  we  are  to  see  the  sandy  deserts. 

2.  There   is   a   vast   amount  of    land,  between 
the  east  and  west  .coasts  of   our  country,  where 
no  plants  grow.     But  in  many  places  where  noth- 
ing grows  now  there  will  by  and  by  be  farms  pro- 
ducing abundant  fruit  and  grain.     For  in  Arizona 
and  in  the   desert  parts  of   California   there  are 
already  acres  upon  acres  of  dry  land  which  has 
been  turned  into  fine  farms  by  irrigation. 

3.  In    those    states    where   there   is   plenty   of 
rain,  few  boys  and  girls  know  the  meaning  of  the 
word  irrigation.      But  in  places  where  very  little 
rain  falls  all  the  year  round,  irrigation  is  one  of 
the  common  words  that  children  learn  to  speak. 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  189 

4.  There  are  irrigating  ditches  that  bring  water 
from  some  distant  river  or  reservoir,  into  every- 
body's garden.  Boys  who  sail  their  boats  on 
the  irrigating  ditches,  or  build  bridges  over  them, 
soon  understand  that  irrigation  is  the  method 
of  giving  water  to  plants,  grains,  and  trees,  so 
as  to  make  them  grow  when  there  is  no  rain. 

5.'  Arizona  does  not  consist  entirely  of  these 
dry  lands.  Along  the  rivers  there  is  soil  that 
is  rich  and  fertile.  Wherever  you  find  a  town 
or  city  here,  you  may  be  sure  that  it  is  near  a 
river.  But  you  may  ride  for  miles  in  the  ter- 
ritory and  scarcely  see  a  creek. 

6.  Out  of  the  wide,  dry  plain  high  mountains 
rise  here  and  there,  which  stand  out  singly  and 
alone,  their  rugged   summits   almost  always  cov- 
ered   with    snow.      These    great    solitary    cones 
seem  higher  than  mountains  of  the  same  height 
that  stand  in  groups  or  chains. 

7.  The  canons  of   the  Colorado  River  are   the 
wonder  of   this  part  of  the  world.       The  broad, 
deep  river,  coming  down  from  distant  mountains, 
forces   its  way  for   two   hundred   miles   between 
walls  of   stone  as  high  as  mountains. 


190  THE  WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

8.  If   you  were  brave    enough  to  attempt   the 
descent  through  one  of  the  canons  by  boat,  you 
would  find    yourself    at  times    almost   shut  away 
from  daylight,  so  high  are  the  walls  on  each  side 
of  the  rushing  river.     Call  as  loudly  as  you  could, 
your  voice  would  not  be  heard,  even  if  some  one 
were  walking  on  the  stony  banks,  thousands  of 
feet  above  you. 

9.  When  you  come  out  upon  the  Mojave  desert, 
as  you  go  westward  on  the  train  again,  you  see  land 
upon  which  nothing  grows.     Even  the  sage-bush, 
which  grew  upon  the  Arizona  plains,  is  gone,  and 
there  is  only  barren  sand  for  a  stretch  of  nearly 
two  hundred  miles. 

10.  It   is   intensely  hot  on  the   Mojave   desert 
in  summer.     Nobody  lives  there  except  the  tele- 
graph operators,  the  station  agents  needed  by  the 
railroad,  and  the  men  who  keep  the  track  in  order. 
All  their  food  and  water  is  brought  to  them  on  the 
train,  as  it  passes  by.     Their  houses  are  made  of 
plain,  unplastered  boards ;  for  it  is  never  cold  in 
the   Mojave    country,    not   even   in   the   dead   of 
winter. 

11.  Before  you  come  to  the  land  of  grass  and 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  191 

trees  again,  the  train  stops  at  a  town  larger  than 
any  which  you  have  passed  for  a  very  long  distance. 
This  is  Daggett,  which  is  situated  not  far  from 
the  gold  mines  at  Calico.  You  can  see  the 
barren-looking  mountains  in  the  distance,  where 
the  gold  is  found. 

12.  The  huge  piles  of  old  tin-cans  lying  about 
the  track  show  you  where  most  of  the  food  of  the 
people  comes  from.      Gardens  and  fruit-trees  do 
not  flourish  here ;  and  fresh  vegetables  and  fruit 
are  not  common  luxuries,  for  they  must  be  brought 
from  a  long  distance. 

13.  By  and  by  you  come  to  a  new  town,  laid 
out  with  avenues  of  palms,  and  with  orange-trees 
planted  about  the  few  houses  in  the  place.     Then 
you  see  that  irrigation  will  do  wonders  even   in 
the  sand.      At  last   you   reach  the  town  of   San 
Bernandino,  in  California,  and  the  wide  desert  is 
behind  you. 

14.  In  Nevada,  the  state  north  of  the  Mojave 
region,  there  are  many  large  desert  tracts  of  land. 
The   Humboldt   desert   is   crossed   by  the  Union 
Pacific,  the  first  of  all  the  great  railroads  which 
have  been  built  across  the  continent.     There  are 


192  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

barren  plains  for   a  long  way  east  of  the  Hum- 
boldt  desert. 

15.  A   little    girl  whose  home  is  in   California 
often  goes  across  the    country  all   the  way  from 
California    to  Washington  with    her   father,  who 
is  a  member  of  the  government   at   the   national 
capital. 

16.  She  described  this  part  of  the  country,  by 
saying,  "  You  ride  for  a  thousand  miles  and  never 
see  a  single  tree ;  the  desolation  makes  you  feel 
almost  homesick ;  and  by  the  time  you  get  to  the 
place  where  the  trees  grow  again  you  have  almost 
forgotten  how  they  look." 

17.  There    is  a  low  bush   called   the  sage-bush 
which  grows  in  some  parts  of   these  arid  plains. 
•There  is  very  little  water  to  be  found  here,  and 
this  tastes  too  strong  of  alkali  to  be  very  good 
to  drink. 

18.  But  even  this  dry  region  has  some  pleasant 
things  about  it ;  and  the  people  who  live  on  the 
plains  will  tell  you  that  nowhere  else  in  all  our 
country  will  you  breathe  air  so  pure  and  dry,  nor 
see  such  blue  sky  by  day,  nor  so  many  stars  at 
night. 


OUR  OWN   COUNTRY.  193 

CHAPTER  XXX. 
SALT  LAKES  AND   SILVER   MINES. 

1.  In   the   northern    part   of    the   territory   of 
Utah  there  is  a  lake  almost  half  as  large  as  Lake 
Ontario,  in  which   the  water   is    salter  than   the 
water  of  the  ocean.     Rivers  flow  into  it,  but  none 
flow  from  it,   as  they  do  from  fresh-water  lakes, 
and  fishes  do  not  live  in  it.     It  is  not  a  deep  lake, 
like  the  great  lakes  of  the  north.     Indeed,  you 
could  wade  about  in  it  in  many  places,  and  you 
would  not  be  at  all  afraid   to   go  bathing  in  its 
shallower  water. 

2.  But  you  would  never  forget  it  if   you  once 
tried  to  dive  or  swim  in  Salt  Lake.    For  the  water 
stings  the  face  of   those  who  dive ;    and  it  is  so 
buoyant  that  it  fairly  tips  over  many  good  swim- 
mers who  try  to  swim  in  the  lake. 

3.  People   who    visit    the   lake  go   on   making 
experiments,  although  they  are  told  that  they  will 
be  unpleasant.     Wild  geese,  ducks,  and  gulls  come 
here   in  immense  flocks.     You  can  see  them  fly- 
ing over  the  islands. 


194  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

4.  This   lake,   called    Great    Salt    Lake,  is   the 
largest    salt    lake   in  our  country ;    but  there  are 
many  smaller  ones  in  different  parts  of  the  coun- 
try.     They   are    to   be   found  in   Utah,  in  New 
Mexico,  in  Texas,   and  in   California.     But  most 
of   the  salt  which  we   use    comes   from  the   salt 
springs   in   more  eastern  states,  —  in  New  York, 
Michigan,  Ohio,  and  West  Virginia. 

5.  Salt  Lake  City,  the  capital  of  Utah,  is  near 
the   lake.      This   is   the   home    of   the    Mormons. 
There  are  pleasant  valleys  not  far  away,  in  the 
Wahsatch    Mountains,    where    there     are    many 
farms  made  fertile  by  irrigation. 

6.  Very  fine  potatoes  are  grown  in  these  valleys. 
These,  with  a  great  deal  of   butter  and  millions 
of   dozens  of   eggs,  are    sent  over  the  Humboldt 
desert  and  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  to  supply 
the  markets  of  the  largest  city  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  —  San  Francisco. 

7.  South  of   the  Humboldt  desert,  in   Nevada, 
there   are    several   cities   which   have    grown   up 
around  the  silver  mines  of  this  part  of  the  world. 
Virginia  City  is  one  of  these,  and  not  far  south 
of  it  is  Carson,  the  capital  of  Nevada. 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  195 

8.  Great   fortunes    have    been    made   from  the 
mines    near  Virginia    City.      Some  of   the  shafts 
are    sunk    deep    down    into     the   ground.       The 
silver  is   found    in  lodes,  or  veins,  in  the    moun- 
tain mines.     The  miners  work  at  one  of  these  as 
long  as  there  is  any  silver  to  be  found ;   then  the 
mine  is  sunk  deeper,  and  still  the  work  goes  on. 

9.  More     than     twenty-three     million     dollars' 
worth  of  gold  and  silver  was  taken  from  one  lode 
in  one  year  when  these  mines  were  first  discov- 
ered. 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 
ALASKA. 

1.  Away  to  the  north  is  Alaska,  a  great  terri- 
tory, which   is  not  shown   on   all    of    the    maps 
because  it  is  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  coun- 
try by  a  part   of   British  America.     Alaska  is  a 
very  large  territory,  but  not  many  white  people 
live   in   it    yet.      There  are    still  many  Indians 
in  the  territory,  for  a  great  deal  of  it  is  cold  and 
not  suited  for  pleasant  homes. 

2.  But    there    are    opportunities    for    making 


196  THE  WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

money,  which  cause  people  to  go  to  Alaska.  Prob- 
ably after  the  territories  of  New  Mexico  and 
Arizona  have  people  enough  living  in  them  to 
entitle  them  to  be  admitted  into  the  Union  as 
states,  instead  of  remaining  territories,  Alaska 
will  ask  to  come  into  the  Union  as  a  state  too. 
But  this  territory  will  not  become  a  state  for  many 
years  yet. 

3.  Alaska  is  a  very  large  territory.    If  you  could 
put   Texas,  California,  and  all  the  New  England 
States  into  it,  you  would  still  have  room  for  Illi- 
nois and  Ohio.     If  you  could  sail  around  the  coast 
of  Alaska  you  would  find  it  a  very  long  journey 
indeed  ;    for  this  territory  has  a  longer  coast-line 
than  all  of  the  states  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

4.  But   few   people    travel    or  live    in    Alaska 
except  along  the  southern  coast ;  for  it  is  very  cold 
in  the  north  of  the  territory,  which  is  open  to  the 
cold  winds  from  the  Arctic  Ocean  with  its  great 
icebergs. 

5.  Cape    Barrow,   extending    into    the    Arctic 
Ocean,  is  the  most  northern  point  of  land  belong- 
ing  to  the   United   States.     It   is  always  winter 


OUR    OWN   COUNTRY.  197 

there,  and  nothing  will  grow.  But  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  territory,  it  is  warm  and  pleasant 
in  the  summer,  and  the  winters  are  no  colder  than 
in  Illinois  or  in  Maine. 

6.  Sitka  is  the  capital,  and  Juneau  is  one   of 
the  other  towns.     Gold,  coal,  and  great  quantities 
of   sulphur  come   from   Alaska.     Ice  and  lumber 
are  shipped  to  California ;  but  the  chief  business 
of  the  people  is  catching  animals  for  their  furs,  and 
fishing  and  whaling. 

7.  Otters     and     beavers     are     numerous,    and 
seals,    from   whose    fur    sealskin    cloaks,    muffs, 
and  caps  are  made,  are   caught  along   the  coast. 
Whaling-vessels  go  from  the  New  England  shores 
to  Alaska,  and  bring  home  oil  and  bones  of  the 
whales.     There  are  millions  and  millions  of  cod  in 
these  waters  and  all  the  way  down  the  west  coast. 

8.  There    are    forty  or  fifty  large  fish-canning 
establishments    on     the    mainland    and    on    the 
islands.     Salmon  are  packed  in  tin  cans  for  ship- 
ment  to   distant    markets.       Some   Indians    find 
occupation   in   these   places,    and   many    Chinese. 
At  Kesa-an   Bay  large  quantities  of   salmon  are 
caught. 


198  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

9.  Says  Mr.  Ballou,  in  his  book,  The  New  El 
Dorado,  "  No  spot  on  the  coast  is  more  famous  for 
the   abundance   and  excellency  of  its  salmon;  at 
certain  seasons  the  waters  of  the  bay  swarm  with 
them.      Here   is   a   large    cannery,  where   native 
women  do  most  of  the  indoor  work.     Two  thou- 
sand barrels  of  salted  salmon,  independent  of  can- 
ning, were  shipped  from  there  in  one  year. 

10.  "The  salmon  are  so  plenty  in  the  regular 
season,  that  an  Indian  will  sometimes  deliver  at 
the  cannery  three  or  four  canoe  loads  in  a  single 
day.     They  are   mostly  caught   by  net   or  seine, 
but   often   during   the   height  of   the  season  the 
natives  absolutely  shovel  the  salmon  out  of  the 
water  to  the  shore  with  their  paddle  blades. 

11.  "  The  bears  'know  very  well  when  the  run 
of  salmon  commences,  and  that  there  are  certain 
quiet  inlets  where  the  fish  are  sure  to  get  crowded 
and  jammed,  so  that  Bruin  has  only  to  reach  out 
his  paws  and  draw  one  after  another  to  the  shore 
and  eat  his  fill."     There  are  thousands  and  thou- 
sands of   bears,  grizzly,  cinnamon,  and  black,  in 
Alaska. 

12.  There  are  two  large  glaciers  or  ice-rivers  in 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  199 

Takou  Inlet.  One  comes  down  to  the  sea,  and 
icebergs  often  slide  from  it  into  the  deep  water. 
A  thousand  streams  fed  by  ice  and  snow  pour 
into  the  bay  from  the  surrounding  mountains. 
The  music  of  falling  water  is  the  only  sound. 
13.  Millions  of  white,  wild  water-fowl  rise  up 
from  these  bays,  when  the  steamer  comes  whistling 
in.  The  scenery  is  wonderfully  impressive.  The 
colors  of  sky  and  sea  are  reflected  on  the  glitter- 
ing glaciers.  Sometimes  people  travelling  up  the 
coast  in  pleasant,  sunny  weather  see  a  terrible 
snow-storm  raging  on  the  high  mountains  of  the 
mainland. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 
NEW  STATES  AND  DOWN  THE  COAST. 

1.  Washington  is  the   most  northerly  state  on 
the  west  coast  of  our  country.     It  is  a  new  state, 
like  North  Dakota,  South  Dakota,  and  Montana, 
and  came  into  the  Union  with  them  in  1889. 

2.  The  President  chose  Washington's  birthday, 
February  22,  as  the  day  for  signing  the  bill  for 


200  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

the  admission  of  these  four  new  states.    Wyoming 
and  Idaho  were  not  admitted  till  1890. 

3.  In   the  Dakotas,  as  we    have    already  seen, 
there    are    great    wheat    farms.     There    are    also 
immense  cattle  ranges   extending   into    Montana. 
The  name  Montana  shows  that  it  is  a  mountain 
state.     Several    chains    of    mountains    cross    the 
state,  and  the  western  part  of  it  is  covered  with 
a   network    of    low   mountains.      Between   these 
ranges  there  are  many  fertile  and  pleasant  valleys. 

4.  East    of    the     great    divide,    these    valleys 
broaden  out   like   great  trumpets.     They  become 
plateaus  and  rolling  prairies,  and  at  last  towards 
the  northeast  is  an  immense  plain  where  herds  of 
cattle  roam  over  the  wide  ranges. 

5.  Gold  and  silver  in  great  quantities  are  found 
in  Montana.     More  gold  has  been    found    in    its 
hills  and  valleys  than  in  any  other  state  except 
California.     There  is  also  a  great  deal  of  copper 
in  Montana.    . 

6.  People  travelling  to  the  Pacific  coast,  by  the 
northern  route,  cross  Montana  and  the  northern 
part  of  Idaho  on  their  way  to  the  State  of  Wash- 
ington.    A  great  inlet  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  called 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  201 

Puget  Sound,  forms  a  large  part  of  the  coast  of 
Washington.  This  sound  extends  eighty  miles 
southward  into  the  land. 

7.  On  the  shores  of  Puget  Sound  are  several 
flourishing,  new  cities  ;  among  which  are  Tacoma, 
Seattle,  and  Port  Townsend.     Hundreds  of  people 
are   going    to    the    Puget    Sound    country   every 
month.     Spokane  Falls  is  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  state.     Olympia  is  the  capital. 

8.  Walla  Walla  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in 
all  the  far  west.     It  is  situated  inland,  near  the 
Oregon   boundary,  and  in  the   centre  of   a  good 
wheat-growing   country.     The   houses  and  public 
buildings  have  been  built  for   years,  and  so  give 
the  place  an  air  of  settled  life. 

9.  If   you   should    travel    in    Washington,  you 
would     find    people    busy    in    farming,    mining, 
and  fishing,  and  in  making  lumber.     You  would 
see  fields  of  wheat,  barley,  and  potatoes,  and  fine 
apple  orchards.     You  would  travel  through  vast 
forests  of  fir,  and  you  would  see,  even  on  a  hot 
summer's  day,  the  snow  on  the  high  mountains  of 
the  Cascade  Range. 

10.  The   Columbia   River,   one   of    the   largest 


202  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

rivers  in  the  United  States,  separates  the  state 
of  Oregon  from  the  state  of  Washington.  It  flows 
down  through  the  Cascade  Mountains,  then  through 
the  Coast  Mountains  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Pacific 
means  peaceful.  There  are  seldom  such  ter- 
rible storms  off  our  West  coast  as  there  are  off 
the  Atlantic  shores. 

11.  If  you  look  at  the  map,  you  will  see  that 
there  are  very  few  islands  all  the  way  from  Cape 
Flattery  off  Puget  Sound,  to  San  Diego, — not  near 
so  many  as  there  are  between  Maine  and  Florida. 
There  are  no  islands  of  any  considerable  size  off 
the  coast  of  Oregon. 

12.  Ocean  steamers  go  up  the  Columbia  River 
and  the  Willamette  to  Portland,  the  largest  city 
in  Oregon.     Here  is  the  great  shipping  point  for 
the  salmon  caught  in  the  Columbia  River.     Flour 
and  wheat,  wool  and  lumber  are  also  shipped  from 
Portland. 

13.'  It  is  never  very  cold  in  Eastern  Oregon,  so 
that  the  sheep  on  the  great  sheep  ranches  can  feed 
out  of  doors  all  the  year  around,  as  in  Texas.  In 
this  part  of  the  state  there  are  immense  forests  of 
redwood.  The  trees  grow  to  a  great  size;  but 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY. 


203 


I 


beyond  the  mountains,  are  vast  dry  plains,  like 
those  in  Nevada,  where  nothing  but  stunted  bushes 
will  grow. 

14.  All  the  way 
down    the    coast, 
from  Portland   to 
San  Francisco,  you 
can    see    the    low 
peaks  of  the  Coast 
Mountains.     Your 
steamer    stops    at 
one  or   two  ports 
in   the    redwood 
country,  and   you 
see  the  great  piles 
of   lumber  in  the 
lumber-yards. 

15.  Before  sail- 
ing   through    the 
Golden    Gate,    as 
the     entrance     to 

San  Francisco  Bay  is  called,  you  pass  the  Faral- 
lon  Islands.  The  steamer  goes  on  between  the 
high  points  that  guard  the  narrow  entrance,  and 


NEAR   SAN    DIEGO. 


204  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

into    the  broad    and    beautiful  bay  to    the  city's 
wharf. 

16.  On    the    California    coast,    south    of    San 
Francisco,  there  are  many  interesting  towns.     It 
would  be  pleasant  to  visit  them  all.     Monterey, 
on  the  Bay  of  Monterey,  is  a  seashore  town,  where 
many  Californians  spend  the  summers,  in  order  to 
be  away  from  the  heat  of  the  valleys,  or  from  the 
cold  winds  that  blow  every  afternoon  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

17.  On  the  Atlantic  coast  the  cool  breezes   in 
the    summer    come    from    the    east,   but    on    the 
Pacific  coast  the  cool  summer  breezes  come  from 
the  west.      In   both   cases   the   cool  winds   come 
from    the    ocean ;    for,    you    know,  the    ocean    is 
colder  than  the  land  in  summer,  and  this  makes 
the  sea  breezes  colder  than  the  land  breezes. 

18.  Across  the  bay  from  Monterey,  is  Santa  Cruz, 
a  pleasant  little  city  on  a  circle  of  wooded  hills. 
Los  Angeles,  in. Southern  California,  is  a  little  way 
inland,  but  has  a  good   port.     As  you  sail  into 
San  Diego  Bay,  you  will  be  delighted  with  the 
beauty  of   Coronado   Beach,  and  not  far  to  the 
south  you  will  see  the  Mexican  Hills. 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  205 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
CALIFORNIAN  VALLEYS. 

1.  As  we  have  seen,  the  Coast  Range  of  moun- 
tains   extends   along   the  entire  western  coast  of 
California.     These  are  low  mountains,  not  nearly 
so  high  as  the   Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  which 
extend   from   the   Mojave  Desert  to  the    Cascade 
Mountains  of   Oregon.     Between  the  Sierras  and 
the    Coast   Range,   lie   the    great    California   val- 
leys famous  for  fruit  and    for  wheat.      The  San 
Bernandino  and  San  Gabriel  Valleys  in  the  south 
are    distinct   from   these,  and   here    is   the   great 
orange  country. 

2.  As  you  ride  up  the  San  Gabriel  Valley,  you 
see  thousands  of  new  orange-groves.      You  come 
to  Riverside  and  find  nearly  everybody  busy  with 
the  growing  or  the  sending  away  of  oranges  and 
raisins.     You  see  vineyards  where  the  grape-vines 
are  trimmed   away  every  year,  until  nothing  is 
left  but  the  trunk. 

3.  Everything  grows  so  fast  here  that  it  would 
not  be  possible  to  walk  about  in   the  vineyards, 


206 


THE   WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 


if  the  vines  were  trimmed  as  little  as  in  colder 
states.  It  is  never  cold  in  the  California  valleys. 
There  are  no  winters  of  ice  and  snow.  During; 

o 

the  winter  there  are  rains  which  make  the  fields 
and  gardens  green  and  beautiful,  and  roses  bloom 
out  of  doors  all  the  year  round. 

4.  In  the  summer  no  rain  falls,  and  it  is  very 

hot  and  dusty. 
But  there  is 
ill  ways  a  cool 


ON   THE  SOUTHERN    PACIFIC    RAILROAD. 


wind  at  night,  so  that  the  people  do  not   mind 
the  heat  of  the  days  so  much. 

5.  The  San  Joaquin  Valley  is  a  vast  ranch 
country  on  both  sides  of  the  San  Joaquin  River. 
Into  this  broad  river,  a  smaller  river,  called  the 


OUR  OWN   COUNTRY.  207 

Merced,  flows  down  from  the  Sierras.  Up  in  the 
mountains  the  Merced  has  a  picturesque  journey 
through  the  famous  Yosemite  Valley. 

6.  Three  high  and  lovely  waterfalls  are  formed 
by  the  little  river  in  its  plunges  down  the  moun- 
tain sides.     The  valley  is  not  long  and  not  wide. 
The  high  rocks  and    mountains  of   Yosemite  are 
in   strange  and  wonderful  forms.      The  Sentinel, 
and    Cathedral    Rock,    are    names    which    show 
what  their  forms  suggest ;  but  no  one  can  have 
much  idea  of   the   noble   beauty  of   the    scenery 
without  seeing  Yosemite. 

7.  People  who  have  travelled  around  the  world, 
and  have  seen  and  praised  many  beautiful  sights, 
say,  when  they  come  to  Yosemite,  that  they  can 
think   of   no  words   to  express   their  feelings  of 
admiration    and    awe,    as    they    first    turn    the 
mountain  corner  from  which  they  look  upon  the 
valley. 

8.  The  people  whose  home  is  in  Yosemite,  are 
snowed  in  for  months  at  a  time  during  the  winter, 
for  there  are  snow-storms  in  the  high  Sierra  val- 
leys when  the  lowland  valleys  of  California  are 
full  of  flowers   and  growing   gram.     But  during 


208 


THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


the  spring  and  summer  there  are  always  parties 
of  people  coming  up  to  stay  in  the  hotel  or  to 
camp  in  the  mountain  pleasure-ground ;  for  the 


IN    THE    YOSEMITE. 


valley  belongs  to  the  state  of  California.  It  is 
a  state  park,  just  as  the  National  Park  in  Wyo- 
ming belongs  to  all  of  the  United  States. 


OUR  OWN   COUNTRY.  209 

9.  In   the   late    summer,  when   the   snows   are 
melted  off  the  mountains  higher  still  in  the  range, 
there  is  little  water  for  the  waterfalls.    They  grow 
much  smaller  than  they  are  in  the  spring,  when 
the  famous  valley  is  in  all  its  beauty,  as  if  ready 
to  be  seen  by  the  visitors  who  come  from  all  parts 
of  the  world. 

10.  There  is  a  little  valley,  also  in  the  Sierras, 
more  than  a  hundred   miles    north  of   Yosemite, 
in  which  all  the  world  was  once  interested.     This 
is   Coloma,    in    El    Dorado    County,    where    the 
first    gold    in    California    was    discovered    many 
years  ago.     Most  of  the  gold  has  long  ago  been 
taken  from   the    Coloma    placers,  and   there   are 
fruit  ranches  now  in  the  little  valley,  where  fine 
mountain    peaches,    plums,    and    apricots    grow. 

11.  These  fruits  are  sent  east  to  Chicago,  New 
York,  and    Boston,  from    stations  on   the   Union 
Pacific   Railroad,   the    first   railroad    built    across 
our  continent.     On  every  fruit  ranch  01  this  little 
valley,  there  are   also  a  great  manj   rose-bushes, 
and  all  the  spring  and   summer  the  air  is  sweet 
with  tlieir  fragrance. 

12.  Higher  up  in  the  Sierras,  there  are  many 


210 


THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


gold  mines,  where  fortunes  are  still  tak^n  from 
the  quartz.  Thousands  of  dollars  worth  of  gold 
are  sent  from  each  of  them  down  to  the  govern- 
ment mint  at  San  Francisco,  to  be  made  into 


MOUNT    SHASTA. 


money.  Silver  and  copper  are  also  mined  in  the 
California  Sierras.  And  it  is  near  these  moun- 
tains, you  remember,  on  the  Nevada  side,  that 
the  great  silver  mines  are  found. 

13.  Sacramento,   the    capital    of    California,   is 
on   the    Sacramento   River.      Steamers    come    up 


OUR   OWN    COUNTRY.  211 

this  broad  river  past  the  grain  fields  and  the  fruit 
ranches  of  the  Sacramento  Valley  from.  San 
Francisco.  From  one  of  these  river  steamers, 
you  can  see,  away  to  the  west,  the  low  purple 
peaks  of  the  Coast  Range,  and  away  to  the  east, 
the  snowy  summits  of  the  Sierras,  looking  like 
clouds  against  the  sky.  On  either  side  of  the 
river  are  the  plains,  broad  and  level  as  an  Illinois 
prairie.  North  of  the  city,  half  way  to  Oregon,  is 
the  Shasta  region  and  beautiful  Mount  Shasta. 

14.  If  you  were  in  Santa  Cruz,  the  pretty  little 
city  we  had  a  glimpse  of  from  the  ocean  as  we 
passed  Monterey  Bay,  and  wished  to  go  to  San 
Francisco,   you  would   have   your   choice    of  two 
delightful  journeys.     If  you  went  up  to  San  Fran- 
cisco Bay  over  the  narrow  gauge  road,  you  would 
go  through  the  picturesque  Santa  Cruz  Mountains, 
and  see  a  group  of  big  redwood  trees.    You  would 
pass  the  apricot  orchards  of  Los  Gatos,  and  see  in 
the  distance  the  heights  of  New  Almaden,  where 
there  is  one  of   the  largest  mines  of   quicksilver 
in  the  world. 

15.  If  it  happened  to  be  a  hot  summer  day,  you 
might  think  that  a  great  deal  of  the  quicksilver 


212 


THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 


must  be  used  in  making  thermometers  for  use  in 
this  lovely  Santa  Clara  Valley.  You  would  have 
glimpses  of  San  Jose,  its  normal  school,  and  the 


beautiful  drive 
to  Santa  Clara, 
two  miles  away. 
16.  In  the 
distance  you 
would  see  Mount 
Hamilton  where 
tli  ere  is  an  im- 
mense telescope. 
It  does  not  rain 
here  during  the 

entire  summer,  and  nowhere  is  there  so  fine  an 
opportunity  to  study  the  stars  as  on  Mount 
Hamilton. 


IN    A    VINEYARD. 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  213 

17.  On  goes  the  train,  and  you  see  from  the 
windows  broad  fields  of  grain,  vineyards,  and 
orchards  of  peaches  as  well  as  of  almonds  and 
apricots.  You  pass  Palo  Alto  and  the  line  of  oak 
groves  below  the  bay.  Your  train  reaches  Oak- 
land. You  go  on  board  a  ferry-boat  and  ride  over 
the  blue  waters  of  the  bay  to  San  Francisco «, 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
IN   SAN  FRANCISCO. 

1.  When  you  come  out  of  the  ferry  station  in 
San   Francisco,  you  see   a   number   of   cable-cars 
waiting  on  the  turn-table  at  the  end  of  the  street. 
Cable-cars  were  used  in  San  Francisco  before  they 
were  used  anywhere  else.     The  man  who  invented 
them   thought  that  there  ought  to  be  some  way 
of   going  up  and  down  the  steep  hills  on  which 
much   of   the  city  is  built,  and   these    fast-going 
cars  are  the  result  of  his  thought. 

2.  We  will  take  a  ride  on  one ;  but  first  let  us 
walk  a  short  distance  up  the  broad  business  street 
which  ends  at  the  ferry  station.     This  is  Market 


214  THE   WORLD   AND    ITS    PEOPLE. 

Street.  You  see  high  business  blocks  that  look 
very  much  like  the  tall  stone  buildings  of  New 
York  or  Chicago.  But  they  are  not  of  stone. 
Nearly  all  of  them  are  built  of  wood  and  are 
painted  to  look  like  stone. 

3.  We  see  the  largest  hotel  in  the  world,  and 
can  scarcely  believe  that  it  is  all  made  of  wood. 
We  walk   over  to  California   Street,  get  upon  a 
cable-car,  and  ride   up  a  high   hill  which  is  ter- 
raced off  by  the  cross  streets,  and  all  of  the  costly 
homes  that  we  see  are  built  of  wood. 

4.  There  are  sometimes  earthquakes  in  Califor- 
nia, and  if  a  house  is  to  be  shaken  down,  there 
is  less   danger  for  its  occupants  if  it  is  built  of 
some  light  material.     There  has  not  been  a  very 
severe    earthquake    in    San   Francisco   for   many 
years,  and    some  of    the   newer  buildings  are  of 
stone  or  brick. 

5.  You  notice  that  all  of  the  houses  have  bay 
windows,  which,  on  some  of  them,  extend  all  the 
way  to  the  roof.    The  San  Franciscans  keep  warm 
by   the   sun.     It   is   not   necessary  to  warm   the 
buildings  with  furnaces,  and  if  there  are  plenty 
of  sunny  windows  in  homes,  business   buildings, 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  215 

and  in  schoolhouses,  there  are  not  many  weeks 
in  the  year  when  people  need  fires  in  the  stoves 
or  grates.  Sunny  rooms  are  almost  as  necessary 
in  the  summer  months  as  during  the  cold,  rainy 
season,  for  every  afternoon  a  chilly  wind  blows 
across  the  city  from  the  mountains. 

6.  It  is  not  at  all   uncommon  to  see   a   lady 
wearing  a  sealskin  cloak,  and  carrying  a  parasol 
on  a  July  afternoon ;  and  men  often  wear  thick 
overcoats  and  straw  hats  in  the  summer.     Then, 
too,  you  may  see  ladies  wearing  lace  shawls  and 
men  working  with  their  coats  off  on  a  sunny  day 
in  January. 

7.  The  winter  is  more  pleasant  in  this  city  than 
the  summer ;  for  the  rains  keep  the  streets  from 
being  as  dusty  as  in  the  summer,  and  the  chilly 
morning  wind  does  not  blow  every  day  during  this 
season.      The  lawns  are  green  about  many  houses, 
and  the  trees  of  heliotrope  and  fuchsias  in  the  gar- 
dens hang  full  of  blossoms. 

8.  The    Mission,   as    the    oldest    part  of    the 
city  is  called,  is  much  warmer  than  the  part  of 
the  city  in  front  of  the  hills  which  shelter  these 
streets   from   the  winds.     You  find  here    an  old 


216  THE  WORLD   AND    ITS   PEOPLE. 

adobe  church,  built  by  Spanish  missionaries  long 
before  California  became  part  of  our  country. 

9.  San  Francisco  was  only  a  little  village  when 
gold  was  first  discovered  in  the  Sierras,  but  now 
it  is  one  of  the  largest  cities  in  the  United  States. 
Tea  and  silk  are  imported  from  Japan  and  China, 
and    enormous    quantities    of    wheat,   flour,  wool, 
wines,  and  fruits  are  now  sent  from  here  to  foreign 
countries   in   ships,  and  to  the  eastern  states  by 
the  railroads  which  cross  the  continent.     Millions 
of  dollars  are  coined  here  in  the  mint  every  year. 

10.  There  are  many  Chinese  in  San  Francisco, 
and  a  part  of  the  city  called  Chinatown  is  inhab- 
ited exclusively  by  them.     Many  of  them  are  mer- 
chants and  laundry-men,  arid  others  are  employed 
as  servants  in  the  houses  and  as  laborers  on  the 
fruit  ranches  of  the  surrounding  country. 

11.  You  must  go  for  a  drive  through   Golden 
Gate  Park.     You  see  people  of  almost  as  many 
languages  as  you  saw  in  New  Orleans.     Fine  car- 
riages roll  by.    In  midwinter  the  grass  is  green  and 
the  flowers  are  in  bloom.     Beyond  the  park  the 
drive   leads   on   to   the    seashore,  past   sand-hills 
not  yet  planted  with  trees  and  grass.      You  see 


OUR   OWN   COUNTRY.  217 

a  beautiful  beach  with   the  waves   of   the   ocean 
rolling   in. 

12.  The   drive  goes  up   a   high   cliff.     Out   at 
sea  a  little  way  are  hundreds  of  seals  on  a  group 
of  rocks.     Away  to  the  right  are  the  heights  on 
either  side  of  the  Golden  Gate,  and  the  sails  of  the 
vessels  on  the  bay. 

13.  On  the  way  back  to  the  city,  we  stop  in  the 
park  before  a  monument  which  was  made  by  Mr. 
W.  W.  Story,  a  famous  American  sculptor  who 
lives  in  Rome,  and  which  was  given  to  the  city 
by  a  rich  and  generous  man.     The  monument  is 
in  honor  of  Mr.  Francis  S.  Key,  the  author  of  the 
inspiring  song  beginning  — 

"The  star-spangled  banner, 
Oh!  long  may  it  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free 

And  the  home  of  the  brare." 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FAC 


A     000  047  232     4 


HO1CE    PUBLICATIONS 


FOR  ALL 


OF  SCHOOLS! 


J-'HE 


NORMAL    MUSIC  COURSE, 


Dv  JOHN  W.   TUFTS    if 4  ff.   f..  HOLT. 

A  complete  Aeries  of  Music  Readers  and  Cl>..  • ,  for  <wery  grade  of  school  and  class 
instruction  in  v  j>v!  music. 


T. 


NORMAL  COURSE  IN  READING. 

By  EMMA   J.  TODD,  Training  Teacher  in  the  ?i<hlic  Schools  of  Aurora,  III.,  and  W.  B. 
POWELL,  A.M.,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Washington,  D.C. 

A  series  of  Reading  Books  prepared  in  accordance  with  the  best  educational  methods 
of  the  day. 

"HE    NORMAL    REVIEW    SYSTEM    OF 
WRITING. 

'  y  D.  H.  FARLEY,  Prof,  of  Penmanship  in    State  Normal   School  of  New  Jersey,  at 
Trenton,  and  W.  B.  GUNNISON,  Prin.  of  Public  School  No.  i<),  Brooklyn,  -V.  1  . 

"writing  is   the   outgrowth   of  long   special   experience   in   teaching   Writing, 
bine!  v  ;:h  large  practical  experience  in  Regular  Schoolroom  Work. 

'THE  YOUNG  FOLKS'  LIBRARY 

FOR  SCHOOL  AND  HOME\ 

v  TON,  LL.D.,  litad  Master  Boston  Normal  School. 
Momentary  read..v,,  prepared  and  edited  with  careful  refer- 


Edit.  J 
A.  oh'>' 


•S1LVER-BURDETT  &  CO- PUBLISHERS'; 


-.-NEW  YORK- 


BOSTON  •-'•"•CHICAGO-    :';> 


